Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target at $121.80

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $121.80.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 138.1% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 385.2% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $125.75 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $83.09 and a 12-month high of $136.24. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.59 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.32%.

About Morgan Stanley

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.