Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $146.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective raised by Bank of America from $140.00 to $146.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Bank of America‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 15.04% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.80.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.3 %

MS stock traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $126.91. 2,917,839 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,616,650. The company has a market cap of $204.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.32, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $127.74 and its 200-day moving average is $111.80. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $136.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $202,000. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 31.9% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 34,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,357,000 after buying an additional 8,376 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 6,313 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $794,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 2,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $318,000. 84.19% of the stock is 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.