Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $187.1429.

Several research firms have weighed in on MS. Barclays lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Evercore cut Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a report on Friday, January 16th.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley formally advanced its spot Bitcoin ETF registration (ticker MSBT), disclosing $1M seed capital, planned NYSE Arca listing, custodial partners (Coinbase/BNY Mellon) and named authorized participants — a potential new product that could bring fee revenue, increase client asset flows and reinforce MS’s digital-asset positioning. Morgan Stanley advances MSBT Bitcoin ETF with amended SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: MS research is publishing macro downside scenarios (e.g., elevated European gas risk and earlier ECB hikes) and revised rate‑cut timing — these calls can drive market volatility and trading flows that affect MS’s trading & principal revenues but are not direct corporate fundamentals. Europe gas refill risks rise; MS flags €90 TTF scenario
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley limited redemptions in a private‑credit vehicle and publicly flagged rising default/liquidity risk in parts of private credit — a near‑term negative for asset‑management fee stability, client confidence and potential reputational risk if outflows/credit losses broaden. Investors may be re‑pricing wealth & asset‑management exposure. Morgan Stanley Tests Private Credit Liquidity As AI Risks Surface

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE:MS opened at $161.47 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $173.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.43. The stock has a market cap of $256.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $192.68.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $3,618,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 429,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $76,279,000 after acquiring an additional 64,401 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 28,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,995,000 after acquiring an additional 7,272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $125,000. 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.