JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $195.00

Posted by Caroline Horne on Jul 16th, 2026

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $187.00 to $195.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective points to a potential downside of 9.95% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on MS. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $219.55.

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Morgan Stanley Trading Down 5.3%

MS traded down $12.01 during trading on Thursday, reaching $216.54. 5,010,709 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,655,223. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $210.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $136.17 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $341.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.The company had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MS. Ballast Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $257,000. Tema ETFs LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 24,259 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,071,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 8,836 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,847,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. William Mack & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Diversified Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 13.4% in the second quarter. Diversified Management Inc. now owns 1,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s Q2 beat showed record revenue and profit, with trading and dealmaking driving the upside and reinforcing the bank’s earnings momentum. Morgan Stanley Reports Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Results
Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share, signaling stronger capital returns and balance-sheet confidence. Morgan Stanley stock page
Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after earnings, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its price target to $250 and maintaining an outperform view. Benzinga article on KBW target increase
Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted record wealth and institutional revenues, plus growing AI-related capital needs, suggesting Morgan Stanley is benefiting from multiple growth drivers. Morgan Stanley Q2 Earnings Call Flags Wealth, AI & Capital Strength

About Morgan Stanley

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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.