Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Receives $224.50 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $224.50.

Several research firms have weighed in on MS. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $210.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $331.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $136.17 and a 12 month high of $232.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $215.11 and its 200-day moving average is $190.67.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.34%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 29,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,281,000 after buying an additional 8,512 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 679.8% during the 4th quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 42,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,527,000 after acquiring an additional 36,963 shares in the last quarter. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,260,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 646,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $116,102,000 after acquiring an additional 65,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $8,854,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst raises earnings forecasts: Erste Group Bank lifted its Morgan Stanley EPS estimates to $12.82 for fiscal 2026 and $13.65 for fiscal 2027, above consensus estimates of $12.78 and $12.68, respectively. The firm maintained a Buy rating. Erste Group raises Morgan Stanley earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly momentum remains supportive: Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter showed EPS of $3.46, well above the $2.89 consensus, while revenue rose 27.1% year over year to $21.35 billion. The results reinforced expectations for continued earnings growth across investment banking, trading and wealth management.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity signals bullish positioning: Traders purchased 40,133 Morgan Stanley call options, approximately 123% above average call volume. Options activity can amplify near-term momentum, though it is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Visibility with major technology investors: Morgan Stanley hosted a closed-door roadshow featuring Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Huang said rising demand for AI computing could lift corporate revenue and GDP, highlighting the investment bank’s role in capturing AI-related advisory, capital-markets and wealth-management opportunities. Nvidia CEO joins Morgan Stanley roadshow
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion of investment products: Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched Ethereum and Solana exchange-traded products with staking features and 0.14% fees, extending its cryptocurrency product lineup beyond its Bitcoin offering. This could create additional fee revenue and strengthen the firm’s competitive position in digital assets. Morgan Stanley launches Ethereum and Solana ETPs
• Neutral Sentiment: Market backdrop remains mixed: Morgan Stanley research has highlighted opportunities in quality stocks amid elevated valuations, geopolitical uncertainty and questions about returns on AI infrastructure spending. These conditions may support advisory and trading activity but could also increase market volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Mortgage-practices allegations: A report alleged that some Morgan Stanley bankers were pressured to approve mortgages for wealthy clients. If substantiated, the issue could lead to regulatory scrutiny, legal costs or reputational damage. Report on Morgan Stanley mortgage allegations

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.