Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $200.00 to $225.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.88% from the company’s previous close.

MS has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 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 report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $208.90.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS opened at $223.03 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $135.26 and a fifty-two week high of $230.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $201.06 and a 200 day moving average of $183.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $351.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share 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 17.70%. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares in the company, valued at $69,224,370.48. This represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sapient Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 10,076 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,658,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 16.0% in the first quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,263 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,524,000 after acquiring an additional 1,279 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.5% in the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 30,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,016,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.2% during the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 742,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,173,000 after purchasing an additional 36,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 25.8% in the 1st quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 3,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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:

• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley limited redemptions at its North Haven private credit fund after investors sought to withdraw 11.6% of units, a sign of heavy exit demand that could weigh on confidence in its private credit platform. Article: Morgan Stanley caps Q2 withdrawals at North Haven private credit fund
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Morgan Stanley has also been in the news for expansion plans in Texas and for bullish analyst commentary on several non-MS stocks, but those items are not direct drivers of Morgan Stanley’s own share price today.
• Positive Sentiment: The stock’s broader backdrop remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley’s recent earnings showing strong profit and revenue growth, which may help cushion the impact of the fund-withdrawal headline.

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.