Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $140.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target hoisted by analysts at UBS Group from $130.00 to $140.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 2.71% from the company’s previous close.

MS has been the subject of several other research reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $131.27.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock traded down $1.56 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $136.31. The company had a trading volume of 3,884,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,810,634. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.03. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $138.08. The company has a market cap of $219.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results 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 company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Perfromance Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Perfromance Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC now owns 2,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Mason & Associates Inc lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Mason & Associates Inc now owns 3,177 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 6,313 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $794,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Morgan Stanley

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.