Cfra Increases Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $108.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target upped by analysts at Cfra from $97.00 to $108.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Cfra’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 19.89% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price objective (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $109.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.13.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MS stock opened at $90.08 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $69.42 and a 12-month high of $95.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $88.73 and its 200 day moving average is $84.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.43.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total value of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total value of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 286,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total transaction of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,555,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 201,155 shares of company stock valued at $17,564,394. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $956,566,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 125,756.8% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,641,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $904,714,000 after acquiring an additional 10,632,735 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $477,765,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,451,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,585,561,000 after acquiring an additional 5,631,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $512,867,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

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.