Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) PT Raised to $109.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group from $107.00 to $109.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 21.00% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price objective (down previously from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.18.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE MS opened at $90.08 on Wednesday. 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 capitalization of $146.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.43. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $69.42 and a 12-month high of $95.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $88.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.81.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total transaction of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total value of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total value of $841,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 323,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,215,213.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 201,155 shares of company stock worth $17,564,394. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 5,200.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 810.8% in the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

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.