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Morgan Stanley (MS) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Morgan Stanley logo
$190.20 +2.19 (+1.16%)
Closing price 10/2/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$190.80 +0.60 (+0.31%)
As of 10/2/2026 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Morgan Stanley - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
12
Buy
13

Based on 26 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Morgan Stanley in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 26 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 12 have given a hold rating, 11 have given a buy rating, and 2 have given a strong buy rating for MS.

Consensus Price Target

$222.85
17.17% Upside
According to the 26 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Morgan Stanley, the average price target is $222.85. The highest price target for MS is $262.00, while the lowest price target for MS is $195.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 17.17% from the current price of $190.20.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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MS Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
10/3/25 to 10/3/26
1 Month Ago
9/3/25 to 9/3/26
3 Months Ago
7/5/25 to 7/5/26
1 Year Ago
10/3/24 to 10/3/25
Strong Buy
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
11 Buy rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
Hold
12 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$222.85$224.75$210.50$152.92
Forecasted Upside17.17% Upside3.43% Upside-1.76% Downside-2.85% Downside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy

MS Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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MS Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Morgan Stanley Stock vs. The Competition

TypeMorgan StanleyFinance CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.54
2.27
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside17.17% Upside37.63% Upside21.56% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent MS News
Positive News
Neutral News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/30/2026
Citigroup Inc. logo
Citigroup
4 of 5 stars
Keith Horowitz
Keith Horowitz
4 of 5 stars
Lower TargetNeutral$235.00 ➝ $210.00+8.91%
9/30/2026
Zacks Research logo
Zacks Research
4 of 5 stars
 DowngradeStrong-Buy ➝ Hold
9/28/2026
HSBC Holdings plc logo
HSBC
3 of 5 stars
Dominic Ball
Not Rated
Boost TargetHold$215.00 ➝ $219.00+11.55%
9/25/2026Lower TargetEqual Weight$240.00 ➝ $223.00+13.69%
9/18/2026 DowngradeStrong-Buy ➝ Hold
8/5/2026 UpgradeBuy (B-) ➝ Buy (B)
8/3/2026Boost TargetBuy$255.00 ➝ $260.00+24.22%
7/20/2026Reiterated RatingSector Perform$243.00+12.88%
7/17/2026Boost TargetOutperform$240.00 ➝ $250.00+14.48%
7/17/2026 UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
7/16/2026Boost TargetOverweight$230.00 ➝ $262.00+14.65%
7/16/2026Boost TargetNeutral$187.00 ➝ $195.00-10.02%
7/16/2026Boost TargetOutperform$225.00 ➝ $250.00+9.40%
7/7/2026 UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
7/7/2026Boost TargetBuy$225.00 ➝ $250.00+13.20%
7/6/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform
7/6/2026Boost TargetNeutral$211.00 ➝ $233.00+8.74%
6/30/2026DowngradeMarket Perform ➝ Underperform
6/25/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$183.00 ➝ $195.00-12.50%
5/19/2026 Boost TargetOutperform$175.00 ➝ $200.00+4.31%
5/7/2026 Boost Target$185.00 ➝ $220.00+14.62%
5/5/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$175.00 ➝ $198.00+4.67%
4/24/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$195.00 ➝ $205.00+9.26%
4/16/2026 Boost TargetBuy$210.00 ➝ $225.00+17.60%
4/16/2026Reiterated RatingMarket Perform
4/1/2026 Lower TargetOutperform$221.00 ➝ $197.00+18.55%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 03:06 AM ET.


Should I Buy Morgan Stanley Stock? MS Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Morgan Stanley pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Morgan Stanley
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Morgan Stanley:

  • Morgan Stanley recently reported strong financial performance in its latest quarterly earnings, with revenue of $21.35 billion, which exceeded analyst estimates of $19.67 billion and represented a 27.1% year-over-year increase, indicating robust demand for its services.
  • The company's board of directors authorized a significant $20.00 billion stock buyback plan in June 2026, a move that typically signals management confidence that the stock is undervalued and can help support share prices by reducing the number of outstanding shares.
  • Wall Street analysts maintain a positive outlook on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.75, which suggests potential upside from the current stock price of $187.94.
  • Morgan Stanley continues to deliver strong returns for shareholders, reporting a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65% in its most recent quarter, demonstrating efficient capital management and profitability.
  • The stock offers a dividend yield of 2.39%, providing income to investors, while the company maintains a solid valuation with a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, which is reasonable given its growth trajectory.

Morgan Stanley
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Morgan Stanley for these reasons:

  • Recent insider trading activity has been predominantly negative, with multiple executives, including the CEO and CFO, selling significant numbers of shares in early 2026, which may signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term upside.
  • The stock has experienced volatility and is currently trading at $187.94, which is significantly below its 52-week high of $232.25, suggesting that the stock has faced downward pressure and may be in a correction phase.
  • Some analysts have recently downgraded the stock or lowered price targets, such as Oppenheimer downgrading to "underperform" and Wells Fargo reducing its target from $240.00 to $223.00, indicating concerns about future growth or valuation.
  • Morgan Stanley has a high debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, which indicates a significant level of leverage and could increase financial risk, especially in a rising interest rate environment or economic downturn.
  • The company's current ratio and quick ratio are both 0.79, which is below 1.0, suggesting that it may have limited short-term liquidity to cover its immediate liabilities, potentially raising concerns about its financial flexibility.

MS Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 26 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Morgan Stanley is $222.85, with a high forecast of $262.00 and a low forecast of $195.00.

26 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Morgan Stanley in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 12 hold ratings, 11 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" MS shares.

According to analysts, Morgan Stanley's stock has a predicted upside of 17.17% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Morgan Stanley's stock had 4 upgrades and 2 downgrades by analysts.

Morgan Stanley also publishes sell-side equities research reports and recommendations about other companies, which can be viewed at its brokerage rating page.

Analysts like Morgan Stanley more than other "finance" companies. The consensus rating for Morgan Stanley is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "finance" companies is Hold. Learn more on how MS compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Morgan Stanley analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/30/2026.
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