Morgan Stanley Expected to Post Q2 2024 Earnings of $1.62 Per Share (NYSE:MS)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Morgan Stanley in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 30th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $1.62 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.60. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s current full-year earnings is $6.78 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Morgan Stanley’s Q4 2024 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.00 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.77 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also commented on MS. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. TheStreet upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.30.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock opened at $93.64 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.75. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $69.42 and a 52-week high of $95.57. The company has a market capitalization of $152.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $90.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.76.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 9.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MS. Norges Bank bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $958,105,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at approximately $477,765,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,451,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,585,561,000 after acquiring an additional 5,631,435 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $512,867,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 21.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,474,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,917,159,000 after purchasing an additional 4,098,577 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total value of $2,324,049.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,009,143.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total value of $2,324,049.45. Following the sale, the insider now owns 286,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,425,422.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 237,855 shares of company stock worth $21,084,057. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 61.93%.

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.