Equities Analysts Issue Forecasts for Morgan Stanley’s Q2 2024 Earnings (NYSE:MS)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Morgan Stanley in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 17th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst J. Mitchell now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $1.54 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.57. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s current full-year earnings is $6.53 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Morgan Stanley’s Q4 2024 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.95 EPS and Q2 2025 earnings at $1.78 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 target price (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $97.90.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $90.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $88.92 and a 200 day moving average of $84.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 77.3% during the third quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 810.8% in the third quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $879,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 313,490 shares in the company, valued at $27,562,040.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total transaction of $393,345.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,140,842.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total value of $879,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,562,040.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 302,355 shares of company stock worth $26,753,102 in the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 61.93%.

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.