Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $184.00 to $202.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target indicates a potential upside of 15.45% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $198.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.77.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE MS traded down $1.55 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $174.97. The stock had a trading volume of 2,165,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,260,928. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $181.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $165.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.09. The company has a market capitalization of $278.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.88 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.