Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target lifted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $202.00 to $210.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MS. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $211.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.23.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $189.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $300.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $175.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.65.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.03%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and strong profitability: MS reported $2.68 EPS (above consensus) with net income and operating profit up year‑over‑year, driven by wealth management and a rebound in investment banking. Morgan Stanley Q4 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase / cash return: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, a signal of confidence and an income tailwind for yield‑sensitive holders. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and price‑target lifts: Several firms (including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods) raised their targets/ratings after the print, which can underpin longer‑term upside. Analyst Price Target Lift
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: Morgan Stanley benefits from a hot IPO/dealmaking environment and wealth‑management flows — management flagged a strong pipeline for 2026 but that outlook is already being priced in. Pipeline Comment
• Negative Sentiment: Operating cash flow weakness: The quarter showed a material swing to negative operating cash flow (cited ~-$3.3B), raising questions about short‑term cash dynamics despite large liquidity buffers. Cash Flow Detail
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple senior executives have sold shares in recent months which can signal management cash‑outs and adds to near‑term selling pressure. Insider Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue vs. expectations and “sell the news”: Revenue slightly missed some consensus figures; combined with investors taking profits after the post‑earnings pop, this explains downward pressure today. Revenue & Market Reaction

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.