Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Has Average Target Price of $214.62 According to Brokerages

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $214.81.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $181.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.31. 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 1-year low of $152.80 and a 1-year high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.