Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target at $209.50

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $210.50.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MS. Wolfe Research cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE MS opened at $211.71 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The company has a market cap of $333.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $204.36 and a 200-day moving average of $185.21. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $135.26 and a 1-year high of $230.47.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 11.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.23%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the sale, the insider owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,224,370.48. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total value of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock valued at $14,644,762 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley authorized a new $20 billion share repurchase program and raised its dividend, a clear capital-return tailwind that investors often view as supportive for the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The OCC gave Morgan Stanley conditional approval for a trust charter, advancing its digital-asset custody strategy and potentially opening a new growth avenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Oppenheimer also reportedly shifted its stance on big banks, including Morgan Stanley, which may add some caution to the sector backdrop, though the market-focused headline is not specific to MS’s fundamentals. Article Title

About Morgan Stanley

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.