Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $198.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $195.00 to $198.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on MS. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $250.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Morgan Stanley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.86.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $180.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $204.40 and a 200-day moving average of $203.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $285.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $152.80 and a 12 month high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buy back $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 22,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 23,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,407,000 after purchasing an additional 1,669 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,475 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Forbes J M & Co. LLP boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Forbes J M & Co. LLP now owns 1,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, 1834 Investment Advisors Co. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 2,098 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record wealth-management results, including approximately $9.1 billion in revenue, strong net new assets and $10.5 trillion in wealth assets, reinforced Morgan Stanley’s long-term growth strategy. Morgan Stanley Q3 profit hits $4.9bn on wealth gains and IPO inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Equities trading revenue surged 41% year over year, helping drive the earnings and revenue outperformance. Management also highlighted opportunities from AI financing and disciplined capital allocation. Morgan Stanley Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Wealth and AI Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to $4.60 annually and a stated yield of about 2.5%, providing ongoing shareholder support.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: JPMorgan raised its target to $198 while maintaining a Neutral rating, but Citigroup, TD Cowen and KBW lowered their targets to $190, $205 and $230, respectively. Morgan Stanley Analysts Cut Their Forecasts After Q3 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appeared concerned that growth was concentrated in equities and trading, while profitability metrics and the business mix were less compelling. The strong beat therefore did not translate into higher valuation expectations. Morgan Stanley Beats on Earnings, But Shares Fall on Trading Mix

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, institutions, governments and individual investors. Founded in 1935, the company is headquartered in New York City and serves clients through operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.

Through its Institutional Securities segment, Morgan Stanley offers investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading, research, lending and related capital-markets services.