Morgan Stanley FY2025 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Morgan Stanley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, August 5th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $8.71 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $8.42. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s current full-year earnings is $8.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 earnings at $2.37 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.34 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.84 EPS.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $16.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.15 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.20% and a net margin of 13.06%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MS. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.25.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE MS opened at $140.98 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $92.78 and a one year high of $145.48. The firm has a market cap of $225.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $137.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 45.30%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.30, for a total transaction of $2,806,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 119,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,729,231.70. This trade represents a 14.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.62, for a total value of $2,531,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 136,407 shares in the company, valued at $19,181,552.34. This trade represents a 11.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 148,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,841,628 over the last quarter. 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 business. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. 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.