Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $219.90

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $219.43.

Several research firms have issued reports on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. HSBC raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Freedom Capital raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $235.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE MS opened at $186.61 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The firm has a market cap of $294.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $206.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $203.34. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $151.88 and a 52 week high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s earnings release is the immediate catalyst. Options markets are targeting a potential move toward roughly $205, suggesting significant volatility and the possibility of a relief rally if results and guidance exceed subdued expectations. ASML Could Swing $34.8 Billion After Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The company is reportedly planning to support tokenized equities on its alternative trading system, adding to its longer-term technology and digital-assets narrative. Morgan Stanley Plans Tokenized Equities Support
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators are focused on wealth-management flows, asset levels, custody activity, investment-banking revenue and the effect of rising rates. The stock may be “priced for disappointment,” creating upside if operating results are resilient. What to Watch When Morgan Stanley Reports
• Negative Sentiment: Investment sentiment has weakened after Morgan Stanley’s earlier rally toward $230, as expectations for M&A and IPO growth cooled. Higher Treasury yields, a stronger dollar and elevated energy prices are also tightening financial conditions, potentially pressuring dealmaking and financing activity. Morgan Stanley Stock Selloff Cools Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank trimmed its fiscal 2026 EPS estimate slightly to $12.79 from $12.83 and maintained a Hold rating. Although the revised estimate remains above the broader $12.66 consensus, the reduction reinforces caution ahead of earnings. Morgan Stanley Analyst Estimate Update

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MS. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $78,825,883,310. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,040,227,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 142.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,122,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $511,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833,844 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $295,482,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at about $110,938,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.