The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective boosted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $172.00 to $186.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $188.87.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $166.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $264.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $192.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.47.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction 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 $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 103.1% during the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 6,448 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the third quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,273,000 after purchasing an additional 9,056 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $3,644,000 after purchasing an additional 11,311 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 52.6% during the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,043,000 after purchasing an additional 39,104 shares during the period. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $855,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies says Morgan Stanley should benefit from a trading surge and steady dealmaking, raising expectations for a strong Q1 — a near‑term earnings catalyst. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley seen riding trading boom as dealmaking holds firm, Jefferies says
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on MS (from $172 to $186), which supports a constructive view from a large Wall Street shop and may attract buyers. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $186
• Positive Sentiment: Billionaire Ken Griffin maintains a sizable stake in Morgan Stanley — a notable institutional endorsement that can support sentiment. Is Morgan Stanley (MS) The Best Financial Stock to Buy According to Billionaire Ken Griffin?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund set a Q1 2026 results call — investors in MS‑linked credit vehicles should monitor fund results for credit performance and fee generation. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Sets Q1 2026 Results Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research says AI‑driven labor disruption remains limited so far — a thematic view that may temper near‑term risk narratives around financials but is not an immediate earnings driver. Morgan Stanley finds AI labor disruption remains limited in early stages
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore and BMO both cut Morgan Stanley’s price target (from $215 to $190), signaling reduced upside from some sell‑side desks and adding near‑term pressure on sentiment. Evercore adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $190 BMO Capital adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $190
• Negative Sentiment: Firm is launching a private‑credit vehicle while the sector faces liquidity stress — this could expand fee opportunities but also raises execution and liquidity risk that investors may discount. Morgan Stanley Plans Private Credit Fund Even as Investors Flee

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.