Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) PT at $224.75

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $224.75.

Several research firms have weighed in on MS. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth approximately $242,000. Talon Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 20.1% during the second quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC now owns 19,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,036,000 after buying an additional 3,228 shares during the period. Finally, Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. now owns 2,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $535,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical support and improving estimates: A recent hammer chart pattern suggests buyers may be defending the stock after its pullback, while upward revisions to earnings estimates could support a near-term rebound. Why Morgan Stanley Looks Ripe for Bottom Fishing
• Positive Sentiment: New Canadian advisory mandate: Morgan Stanley and CIBC were selected to advise on the sale of Canadian airport concessions. The transactions are expected to raise tens of billions of dollars, highlighting Morgan Stanley’s ability to win sizable government-related investment-banking assignments. Morgan Stanley and CIBC Win Canadian Airport Concessions Mandate
• Positive Sentiment: Strong deal pipeline and advisory revenue potential: Morgan Stanley is reportedly among the brokerages positioned to earn fees from upcoming high-profile offerings, including a potential Anthropic IPO. The firm and Goldman Sachs reportedly generated about $100 million each in fees from the SpaceX IPO, underscoring the earnings leverage from a robust equity-capital-markets environment. Anthropic IPO and Brokerage Fees
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor focus remains elevated: Morgan Stanley has been a heavily watched stock, with coverage emphasizing its established wealth-management, trading, and investment-banking franchises. This visibility may increase trading interest but does not represent a new fundamental catalyst. Morgan Stanley Is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Higher advisor compensation thresholds: Morgan Stanley’s 2027 advisor compensation plan raises certain production thresholds. Although the changes follow common brokerage-industry practices, investors may weigh whether they could increase compensation costs or pressure margins if advisors require greater payouts to retain and grow business. Morgan Stanley Raises the Bar for Financial Advisor Compensation

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:MS opened at $202.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The business’s 50 day moving average is $214.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $199.31. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $151.84 and a 52 week high of $232.25. The company has a market cap of $319.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.21.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The business had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.82 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. The company serves corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and institutional investors through a range of advisory, capital-raising, trading and investment-related activities.

Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities business offers investment banking services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting and capital markets services.