Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.07.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $92.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $89.68 and its 200 day moving average is $85.40. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $95.57.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.66%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 61.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $879,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 313,490 shares in the company, valued at $27,562,040.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total transaction of $393,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 93,134 shares in the company, valued at $8,140,842.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $879,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,562,040.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 252,355 shares of company stock worth $22,356,602. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth approximately $463,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 62.9% during the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 5,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $455,000 after acquiring an additional 2,152 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 810.8% during the third quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.0% during the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,249 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.