Rothschild & Co Redburn Boosts Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $183.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn from $171.00 to $183.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 3.26% from the company’s previous close.

MS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Citizens Jmp restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.67.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $189.17 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $168.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $104.78 and a 12-month high of $194.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 14.65%.The firm 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 company posted $2.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total value of $2,942,225.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,135,424.08. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,736,648,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,917,776 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,648,354,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364,080 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 142.4% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,122,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $511,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833,844 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,718,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,253,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2,332.9% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,406,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $249,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348,683 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: Q1 beat and record revenues — MS reported Q1 EPS of $3.43 and $20.58B revenue, with equities trading and investment banking notably strong, which is the core reason for the rally. MS Q1 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Wealth-management momentum — record Wealth Management revenues, ~$118B net new assets and ~$54B in fee-based flows support recurring-fee outlook and ROE expansion (helps valuation). Morgan Stanley reports 29% surge in Q1 profit
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT Bitcoin ETF traction — Morgan Stanley’s spot bitcoin ETF (MSBT) passed $100M+ inflows in its first week, widening product distribution and adding new fee/asset channels for Wealth clients. MSBT sees sixth straight inflow
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades & capital returns — Multiple firms raised price targets (Bank of America to $225, Evercore to $210, Argus to $225) and the firm repurchased stock + declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, boosting investor confidence. Price Target Raised to $225 at Bank of America Price Target Raised to $210 at Evercore
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory / capital context — CFO says capital requirements may be flat or modestly lower under pending U.S. capital reform, which could free up capital but also depends on final rule outcomes. Morgan Stanley eyes capital relief
• Neutral Sentiment: Street positioning mixed — some shops reaffirm neutral/market-perform stances even as targets rise, indicating debate over near-term upside vs valuation. Citizens Jmp Market Perform
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum caution — post-earnings rerating has left some calling valuation “hot” and short-term momentum may cool after a heavy run. Valuation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — disclosures show recent insider sales, which can weigh on sentiment for some traders even after strong results. Quiver: MS insider activity

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.