Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $201.3333.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Zacks Research cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS opened at $189.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $299.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.19. 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 $107.97 and a fifty-two week high of $194.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $169.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.32.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The business’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares in the company, 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 have sold 110,444 shares of company stock worth $20,665,049. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cambient Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 17.0% during the first quarter. Cambient Family Office LLC now owns 4,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.1% during the first quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 2,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 4.4% during the first quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 22,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,736,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.0% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,290,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.3% during the first quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 55,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,791 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major broker price-target raises: Bank of America boosted its MS target to $225 (Buy) citing management messaging and business momentum — an analyst-level endorsement that tends to support buying interest. BofA Lifts PT on Morgan Stanley to $225
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital also raised its price target to $220 and kept Outperform — another institutional signal likely to attract demand from research-driven funds. BMO Capital adjusts PT on Morgan Stanley to $220
• Positive Sentiment: Spot Bitcoin ETF flows have surged recently and Morgan Stanley’s MSBT (its spot BTC ETF) has pulled meaningful inflows — positive for MS’s wealth/asset-management fee narrative and AUM growth potential. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Add $996M as Flows Near Record High
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and media coverage: recent write-ups and weekly performance commentary (MS up vs. peers) can draw ETF and momentum flows into MS stock. That technical interest can amplify analyst-driven moves. MS up 6.29% in One Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing research activity: Morgan Stanley’s research franchise remains active (new coverage/targets across T‑Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and others). That strengthens the firm’s advisory/research positioning but is a longer-term reputation signal rather than an immediate earnings driver. Morgan Stanley Assumes Coverage of T‑Mobile
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst chatter about MS strategy and stock picks (e.g., memory/AI calls) highlights the firm’s market role but doesn’t directly change MS earnings—so mixed/neutral near term. 5 Morgan Stanley Stock Picks Leading 2026 Strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: MS disclosed an Eric F. Grossman sale of 11,118 shares (~$2.1M) and other insider disposals were reported — aggregated insider sales can weigh on near-term sentiment even if they’re for personal/liquidity reasons. Insider Sale: Eric Grossman
• Negative Sentiment: Additional SEC-filed insider sales reported in media (multi-million dollar disposals) amplify the negative read for some investors and can pressure the stock despite positive analyst notes. Morgan Stanley Insider Sells

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.