Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $184.00 to $202.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target points to a potential upside of 15.45% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.77.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock traded down $1.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $174.97. 2,165,653 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,260,928. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $181.98. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $165.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.