Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target at $174.77

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $181.4615.

Several research analysts recently commented on MS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS opened at $184.77 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $188.82. The firm has a market cap of $293.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.95, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $157.46.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. The firm had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,123,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,779,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354,142 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 27,321,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,343,523,000 after buying an additional 167,487 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,494,146 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,893,590,000 after buying an additional 448,960 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $2,234,883,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 6.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,260,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,267,847,000 after acquiring an additional 822,120 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed multiple spot crypto ETF registrations (Bitcoin, Solana) and an Ethereum Trust that contemplates staking rewards — a major product expansion that could drive fee, custody and wealth-platform revenues and helps MS compete with BlackRock/Fidelity in the institutional crypto product race. Morgan Stanley Files for Bitcoin and Solana Trusts in ETF Push
• Positive Sentiment: The bank followed with an Ethereum S‑1 that would allow staking of held ETH to generate yield — a differentiated ETF feature that could attract flows from yield-seeking institutional investors. Morgan Stanley adds Ethereum staking ETF filing to growing crypto lineup
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/target hikes have supported the momentum — Jefferies raised its MS price target (and coverage commentary has pushed MS to a recent 12‑month high), which helps sentiment for shares. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on Morgan Stanley to $212
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary are debating how large a competitive advantage crypto ETFs give MS — Zacks and other outlets note upside (new revenue streams) but question distribution/implementation risk. That analysis tempers the upside timeline. Will MS’ Move Into Crypto ETFs Provide Competitive Advantage?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro and industry pieces note the filings could reshape incumbent banks’ product sets if peers follow — important strategic context but not an immediate earnings lever. Is The Dam Breaking? How Morgan Stanley’s Crypto ETFs Could Reshape Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Profit‑taking and a rotation after the run: MS ran higher on the ETF filings and analyst upgrades (earlier headlines pushed it to a 12‑month high), so today’s decline looks consistent with traders locking gains and short‑term rotation rather than a fresh fundamental reversal.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and regulatory risk remain — SEC approval timelines, third‑party staking operational risk and potential margin/custody complexities mean revenue is not guaranteed near term; that keeps some investors cautious.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.