Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $185.9286.

MS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, January 16th.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research is getting attention — analysts reiterated bullish views on Nvidia and published notes saying the NVDA story is “getting stronger,” which reinforces MS’s high-profile research franchise and fee-generating advisory/flow business. ‘It’s Getting Stronger,’ Says Morgan Stanley About Nvidia Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported a strong quarter in mid-January (EPS and revenue beat), which supports its fundamentals and underpins the stock despite today’s weakness.
• Neutral Sentiment: MS economists and strategists are active in the press — Michael Gapen and others are framing Fed/real‑rate expectations and signaling the timing of future cuts could shift; this positions MS as a market voice but is informational rather than an immediate stock driver. Jerome Powell says economy has ‘clearly improved’…
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research has flagged sector-level shifts from interest-rate trends (spending moving toward goods vs. services); useful for clients and positioning but not an immediate binary for MS stock. Morgan Stanley Expects Interest Rate Trends to Shift Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Broad market / big-tech weakness is the biggest near-term drag: ETFs and large caps (MSFT, NVDA, AMZN, etc.) have suffered sizable moves today, which usually depresss trading revenue, wealth-management flows and investor sentiment for MS. VTI is down 1.4% today, on PLTR stock price movement
• Negative Sentiment: Bond‑market “disconnects” noted by a Morgan Stanley exec and reported in the press are creating episodic volatility and liquidity frictions — a headwind for trading and fixed‑income desks, which can pressure broker‑dealer earnings and thus the stock. A Morgan Stanley exec says chaotic headlines are creating disconnects in the bond market

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MS stock opened at $182.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $289.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $178.70 and a 200-day moving average of $162.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.18%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 96,223 shares of company stock valued at $17,716,220. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MS. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 period. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% during the third 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. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.