Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $125.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target dropped by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $129.00 to $125.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 25.31% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on MS. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $142.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.87.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $99.75 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $85.01 and a 52-week high of $142.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The stock has a market cap of $160.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.08.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

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