Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.68 EPS

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.68, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The business’s revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $131.08 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $136.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $128.74 and its 200-day moving average is $113.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.36.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 56.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.07.

About Morgan Stanley

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.