Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Target Price at $98.07

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.07.

MS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TheStreet raised Morgan Stanley from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $879,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,562,040.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total transaction of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 414,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,425,422.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total value of $879,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 313,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,562,040.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 302,355 shares of company stock valued at $26,753,102. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $27,000. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $463,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 62.9% during the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 5,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 810.8% during the third quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.0% during the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,249 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $92.10 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $69.42 and a 52 week high of $95.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The company has a market cap of $149.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.43.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 9.57%. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

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.