Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $177.00 Price Target at HSBC

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price boosted by research analysts at HSBC from $153.00 to $177.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. HSBC’s target price suggests a potential downside of 6.43% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research cut their target price on Morgan Stanley from $221.00 to $197.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $199.67.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $189.17 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $168.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.48. The stock has a market cap of $299.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $104.78 and a fifty-two week high of $194.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 14.65%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 69.0% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 8,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,263,000 after buying an additional 3,661 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 90.9% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,378,000 after buying an additional 7,688 shares during the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.3% in the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 263,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,127,000 after buying an additional 15,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,825 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,805,000 after acquiring an additional 3,807 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and record revenues — MS reported Q1 EPS of $3.43 and $20.58B revenue, with equities trading and investment banking notably strong, which is the core reason for the rally. MS Q1 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Wealth-management momentum — record Wealth Management revenues, ~$118B net new assets and ~$54B in fee-based flows support recurring-fee outlook and ROE expansion (helps valuation). Morgan Stanley reports 29% surge in Q1 profit
• Positive Sentiment: MSBT Bitcoin ETF traction — Morgan Stanley’s spot bitcoin ETF (MSBT) passed $100M+ inflows in its first week, widening product distribution and adding new fee/asset channels for Wealth clients. MSBT sees sixth straight inflow
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades & capital returns — Multiple firms raised price targets (Bank of America to $225, Evercore to $210, Argus to $225) and the firm repurchased stock + declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, boosting investor confidence. Price Target Raised to $225 at Bank of America Price Target Raised to $210 at Evercore
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory / capital context — CFO says capital requirements may be flat or modestly lower under pending U.S. capital reform, which could free up capital but also depends on final rule outcomes. Morgan Stanley eyes capital relief
• Neutral Sentiment: Street positioning mixed — some shops reaffirm neutral/market-perform stances even as targets rise, indicating debate over near-term upside vs valuation. Citizens Jmp Market Perform
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum caution — post-earnings rerating has left some calling valuation “hot” and short-term momentum may cool after a heavy run. Valuation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — disclosures show recent insider sales, which can weigh on sentiment for some traders even after strong results. Quiver: MS insider activity

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.