Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $124.00 to $129.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.59% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $132.33.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.4 %

MS stock opened at $122.17 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $85.01 and a 1-year high of $142.03. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.50. 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 has a market capitalization of $197.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total value of $1,783,811.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at $26,891,872.80. This trade represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total transaction of $2,380,175.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.