Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $185.9286.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MS shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $166.91 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $180.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.61. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $192.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total value of $3,966,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 in the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MS. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,273,000 after buying an additional 9,056 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 97.4% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 11,311 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.8% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 581,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $92,407,000 after acquiring an additional 21,458 shares during the period. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth about $855,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 157,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,048,000 after purchasing an additional 5,876 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research team is promoting a bullish view on an AI-driven “reindustrialization” — expecting heavy data‑center capex and continued tech-led market opportunities, which supports the firm’s franchise value in research and institutional client businesses. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party coverage notes analysts remain constructive on top financials, with Morgan Stanley included among favored names — a signal that some investors still view MS as well‑positioned for fees and capital markets activity. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley analysts continue active coverage across sectors (examples today include fresh targets and re‑ratings on companies such as Travel + Leisure and Coty) — this underscores the firm’s steady research flow but has no direct immediate effect on MS’s own earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other Morgan Stanley research notes (e.g., expectations for Nvidia’s results and sector calls) keep the firm visible in headlines — supportive for long‑term fee generation but not a short‑term catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns about Morgan Stanley’s recruiting and compensation costs resurfaced after coverage highlighted rising advisor‑recruiting expenses and large outstanding employee loans (reported at ~$4.8B), which could pressure margins and capital use. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market pieces identify a fresh, direct sell‑side risk: lenders (including MS) are being repriced on worries that AI agents could undermine borrower credit profiles or create new underwriting risks — a thematic concern cited as a reason for today’s pullback. Article Title

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.