Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $145.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $120.00 to $145.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on MS. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.69.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MS stock traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $143.06. The stock had a trading volume of 4,202,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,685,940. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $131.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $126.47. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $90.94 and a 52-week high of $145.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is presently 43.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total value of $1,124,092.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 199,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $4,800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.