Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $189.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $177.00 to $189.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 1.70% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.69.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $185.84 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $182.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $170.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.50. The company has a market cap of $295.36 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 29.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 259,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,468,000 after acquiring an additional 59,351 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at about $8,510,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 16.5% during the first quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 1,415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.0% in the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 158,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,472,000 after purchasing an additional 8,991 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts and screens are bullish on MS — a recent article reports a raised price target for Morgan Stanley and elsewhere MS appears on lists of top-ranked stocks expected to beat earnings, reinforcing optimism about near-term EPS beats and valuation upside. Morgan Stanley (MS) Price Target Raised by $18: A Comprehensive Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks includes Morgan Stanley among five top-ranked names likely to beat upcoming earnings, which can attract buyer interest ahead of results. Looking for Earnings Beat? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Industry recognition and analyst sentiment remain constructive — a survey-style note shows MS with an average analyst rating around “Moderate Buy,” supporting demand for the shares. Morgan Stanley Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/wealth-management tailwind: large banks (JPM, Citi and MS peers) are increasingly recommending spot Bitcoin allocations; broader acceptance of crypto allocations by major wealth channels supports fee opportunities for MS’s wealth and private bank businesses. Bank of America Joins JPMorgan, Citi, Morgan Stanley By Recommending Bitcoin Portfolio Allocation
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s research desk is producing market-moving thematic work (e.g., bullish US market outlook for 2026 and regional energy studies). Those publications boost MS’s revenue mix via research/flows but have indirect and variable effects on firm earnings. US to Drive Stocks in 2026 With 10%-Plus Gain: Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Research note: Morgan Stanley flagged that Venezuela crude could meaningfully increase heavy crude flows — important for energy-sector pricing and clients, but only indirectly relevant to MS’s own fundamentals. American bank forecasts Venezuela crude exports will double
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst activity on third-party names (Auna, ADM, BorgWarner, etc.) underscore MS’s revenue from investment banking and research but are company-agnostic signals rather than direct drivers of MS stock. Morgan Stanley Sees Growth Potential in Auna SA (AUNA)

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.