Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $190.00 Price Target at Citigroup

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target cut by research analysts at Citigroup from $210.00 to $190.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price target indicates a potential upside of 4.52% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank lowered Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $214.71.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $181.78. 4,931,689 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,172,158. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $152.80 and a 12 month high of $232.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $205.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $203.47. The company has a market capitalization of $286.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Crown Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.2% in the second quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 35.7% during the second quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% during the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank OZK increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.0% during the second quarter. Bank OZK now owns 1,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported Q3 revenue of $20.34 billion and EPS of $3.03, surpassing consensus estimates. Revenue increased 11.6% year over year, while net income applicable to the company reached approximately $4.9 billion. Morgan Stanley Reports Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Record Wealth Management revenue of $9.1 billion, $232.4 billion in net new assets and $80.5 billion in fee-based flows underscored the firm’s more stable recurring-growth strategy. Equity trading revenue also surged 41%, helping offset weaker fixed-income markets. Morgan Stanley Q3 Profit
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, equivalent to a $4.60 annualized payout and roughly a 2.6% yield. Morgan Stanley also repurchased $1.54 billion of stock, supporting shareholder returns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted AI-related financing opportunities, IPO activity and disciplined capital allocation. However, these growth opportunities remain sensitive to market conditions and client activity.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts lowered price targets after the earnings release. TD Cowen cut its target to $205 from $210 and maintained a Hold rating, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced its target to $230 from $250 despite reaffirming Outperform. The revisions suggest the earnings beat was largely anticipated or viewed as difficult to sustain. Morgan Stanley Analysts Cut Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Higher interest-rate volatility and a bond-market selloff hurt fixed-income trading revenue across Wall Street, highlighting Morgan Stanley’s continued exposure to market-sensitive businesses. Investors also appear concerned that the stock’s recent gains already reflect much of its strong operating performance.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.