Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $105.00 Price Target at Oppenheimer

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price raised by Oppenheimer from $101.00 to $105.00 in a research note published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

MS has been the topic of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. JMP Securities restated a market perform rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $98.30.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $93.64 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $90.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.76. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $95.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.41.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.19, for a total transaction of $2,324,049.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 286,835 shares in the company, valued at $25,009,143.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 26,655 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,368,457.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 237,855 shares of company stock valued at $21,084,057. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,553 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $994,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.9% in the first quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 3,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.1% during the first quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.9% during the first quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.