Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Cut to $175.00 by Analysts at Daiwa Securities Group

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price trimmed by Daiwa Securities Group from $187.00 to $175.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.94.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.9%

MS stock opened at $168.02 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $168.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $97.89 and a fifty-two week high of $192.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $266.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.46, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 over the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded Morgan Stanley to a Buy and set a $196 price target, highlighting wealth‑management strength and positioning the stock for upside versus peers. Time to buy shares of Morgan Stanley, says UBS
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley will debut its spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT) on NYSE Arca tomorrow; the fund holds physical BTC, tracks the CoinDesk 4PM NY rate, and charges a low 0.14% sponsor fee — a potential new revenue and flow source if ETF inflows materialize. MSBT: Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Ready for Launch Tomorrow
• Positive Sentiment: Firm is launching a private‑credit fund to capture dislocations in private credit markets — an asset-management growth lever if fundraising succeeds and APR spreads remain attractive. Morgan Stanley Capitalizes On Private Credit Dislocation With New Fund
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies expects US banks — including MS — to deliver solid Q1 results driven by trading activity; this is supportive but market‑sensitive ahead of earnings. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley seen riding trading boom as dealmaking holds firm, Jefferies says
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate calendar items: MS set to report/host key events (earnings focus and direct‑lending updates) — catalysts that can swing intraday volatility but don’t change the medium‑term thesis. Dear Morgan Stanley Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for April 15 Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Sets Q1 2026 Results Call
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side shops trimmed price targets (Evercore/BMO cut targets; Daiwa lowered its PT to $175) — these revisions cap near‑term upside and reflect differing views on valuation and bank cyclicality. Evercore adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley Daiwa Securities adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to 175
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage flags execution risk in newer initiatives (private‑credit fundraising while investor flows soften) — a potential headwind if markets stress and fundraising slows. Morgan Stanley plans private credit fund even as investors flee

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.