Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Argus Analyst Says

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Argus from $210.00 to $225.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Argus’ target price suggests a potential upside of 17.20% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Evercore cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $197.06.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.2%

MS opened at $191.97 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $303.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $104.78 and a one year high of $194.59. The business’s fifty day moving average is $168.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.36.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 103.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 6,448 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the third quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,273,000 after purchasing an additional 9,056 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 97.4% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,644,000 after purchasing an additional 11,311 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 52.6% in the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,043,000 after purchasing an additional 39,104 shares during the period. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at $855,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat: MS reported EPS $3.43 on $20.58B revenue, above expectations; equity trading and investment banking were key drivers and wealth management posted strong net new assets — a core reason the stock rallied. Business Wire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Multiple firms raised forecasts/targets after the print (Keefe Bruyette & Woods to $218, BofA to $225 and others), extending upside and supporting buy/ outperform calls. Benzinga: Analyst Price Target Moves
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return & dividend: Firm announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend and repurchased stock in Q1 — signals of cash generation and shareholder returns that strengthen the rally case. QuiverQuant: Q1 Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: New product traction — Bitcoin ETF: MS’s spot Bitcoin trust gathered ~ $100M+ in its first week, showing distribution capability in wealth channels and opening a new fee/revenue stream. Cointelegraph: Bitcoin ETF Inflows
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/capital outlook: CFO said U.S. capital rule overhaul should leave Morgan Stanley’s requirements flat or modestly lower — a potential structural tailwind if realized but dependent on final rulemaking. Reuters: Capital Relief/Lobbying
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic commentary: Management highlighted tokenization and blockchain as part of wealth‑platform evolution and flagged private‑credit risks — important long‑term themes but not immediate earnings drivers. Bitcoin.com: Tokenization Comments
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation notes: Filings show senior insider sales and some commentators warn valuation is rich after the rally — could cap upside and add short‑term volatility/rotation risk. Seeking Alpha: Valuation Commentary

About Morgan Stanley

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.