Analysts Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target at $224.75

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $224.75.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MS. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, CICC Research increased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF, the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, has reportedly increased its Bitcoin purchases as the cryptocurrency’s market capitalization expanded sharply over the past month. Greater demand could support fee revenue and strengthen the firm’s position in wealth management and digital assets. Morgan Stanley is loading up on Bitcoin
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley announced 24 startups and nonprofits for its 2026 Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures accelerator. The initiative may enhance the firm’s innovation and corporate-responsibility profile, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Morgan Stanley Inclusive and Sustainable Ventures Announces 2026 Global Cohort
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley expressed increased optimism about Apple’s latest product offerings. The commentary could reinforce the bank’s technology-sector research credibility, but it has no direct financial impact on MS. Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock
• Negative Sentiment: A Morgan Stanley warning that stocks could face a correction within 30 days adds to macroeconomic and valuation concerns. A broader pullback could pressure the firm’s investment-banking, trading and asset-management businesses, while also weighing on its stock. Morgan Stanley Gives Huge Stock Market Crash Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley helped OpenAI develop software that automates work traditionally performed by junior banking analysts. Although the technology may improve productivity and margins over time, investors may view it as evidence of pressure on headcount, talent development and the traditional banking model. OpenAI Just Came for Wall Street’s Junior Bankers

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MS. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth approximately $8,854,000. Arsenal Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $814,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 201.0% in the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 11,726 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 71,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,724,000 after acquiring an additional 11,588 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.9% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 294,047 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,468,000 after acquiring an additional 28,877 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $206.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $151.84 and a twelve month high of $232.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $215.70 and its 200-day moving average is $198.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $325.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.21.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. The company serves corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and institutional investors through a range of advisory, capital-raising, trading and investment-related activities.

Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities business offers investment banking services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting and capital markets services.