Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $220.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price hoisted by BMO Capital Markets from $190.00 to $220.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $171.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.33.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:MS opened at $190.55 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $169.00 and its 200-day moving average is $171.10. 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 52 week low of $104.78 and a 52 week high of $194.59. The firm has a market cap of $301.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 36.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This trade represents a 6.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total transaction of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 110,444 shares of company stock valued at $20,665,049. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on MS to $225 and reiterated a Buy, citing management messaging and business momentum — this boosts analyst-driven demand. BofA Lifts PT on Morgan Stanley (MS) to $225 From $220
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital raised its MS price target to $220 and maintained an Outperform — another institutional endorsement that likely attracted buyers. BMO Capital adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley to 220
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s new spot Bitcoin ETF continues to see inflows (MSBT ~ $71M in the latest weekly flows), which helps fee and asset-gathering narratives for the bank’s wealth/asset-management business. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Add $996M as Flows Near Record High
• Neutral Sentiment: MS analysts remain active — the firm has been initiating/adjusting coverage on large names (e.g., T‑Mobile, Verizon, AT&T) and raising targets across sectors. That highlights the strength of MS’s research franchise (positive for fee-based business over time, but not an immediate earnings driver). Morgan Stanley Assumes Coverage of T-Mobile US (TMUS)
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum indicators and media coverage note MS has been a top-performing financial stock recently (recent writeups highlight a multi-day/week gain), which can attract momentum and ETF flows into the name. Morgan Stanley (MS) Is Up 6.29% in One Week: What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling flagged today: Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares (~$2.1M). Insider sales can sap near-term sentiment even if driven by personal liquidity needs. Eric F. Grossman Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Additional SEC-filed insider sales were reported (multi-million-dollar disposals covered by AmericanBankingNews), which some investors may view as a cautionary signal. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells $9,744,068.12 in Stock Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Insider Sells $2,779,935.60 in Stock

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.