Wolfe Research Lowers Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $197.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price reduced by equities research analysts at Wolfe Research from $221.00 to $197.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wolfe Research’s price target indicates a potential upside of 18.64% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $185.73.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1%

MS stock opened at $166.04 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year high of $192.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.18. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $263.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19.

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 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 the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 119,128 shares in the company, valued at $21,690,826.24. This represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley signaled a Bitcoin ETF is near launch after Amendment No. 4 filings — this could drive new AUM, product-fee income and intensify competition in institutional crypto products. Morgan Stanley Signals Bitcoin ETF Near Launch
• Positive Sentiment: E*TRADE (Morgan Stanley’s retail arm) is in talks to lead a SpaceX IPO retail allocation — winning large retail allocations could boost E*TRADE’s market share, transaction revenue and brand with everyday investors. E*TRADE in talks to lead SpaceX IPO retail sale
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/earnings previews note Morgan Stanley’s strong surprise history and place the firm in a good position to beat upcoming quarterly estimates — supportive for sentiment into earnings. Will Morgan Stanley (MS) Beat Estimates Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: E*TRADE published its monthly sector-rotation data — useful for positioning and client flows but unlikely to move MS shares materially by itself. E*TRADE Releases Monthly Sector Rotation Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation write-ups note recent soft short-term price action but strong multi-year returns — frames risk/reward for longer-term investors rather than an immediate catalyst. A Look At Morgan Stanley Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple sell‑side firms trimmed price targets (Wolfe, Rothschild/Redburn, HSBC among others), producing downward pressure on sentiment — some cuts leave implied upside limited or turn neutral/hold, which can weigh on the stock near term. Wolfe Research adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley HSBC adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley

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.