Wolfe Research Lowers Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $197.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target reduced by investment analysts at Wolfe Research from $221.00 to $197.00 in a report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wolfe Research’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 18.40% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, HSBC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.13.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

MS traded up $1.82 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $166.39. 4,172,833 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,523,629. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $170.12 and a 200 day moving average of $169.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total transaction of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,135,424.08. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade is in talks to lead SpaceX’s retail IPO allocation, which would give MS first crack at a large retail tranche (reports say SpaceX may reserve up to 30% for retail). That could boost trading fees, retail customer flows and E*Trade’s strategic position versus rivals. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile investor support: reports that billionaire Paul Tudor Jones is bullish on Morgan Stanley have likely helped sentiment, reinforcing confidence in MS as a bank/wealth manager play. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Product pipeline upside: coverage referenced Morgan Stanley’s upcoming spot Bitcoin ETF and related digital-asset activity — a new ETF product and related trading/asset-gathering could create recurring fee revenue and trading commissions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Solid fundamentals (recent quarter): Morgan Stanley’s last reported quarter beat EPS and revenue expectations, supporting the valuation and reinforcing investor confidence in recurring investment‑banking and wealth‑management profitability. (Company results: Jan 15 release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Research flow and analyst notes: MS research has been active — trimming price targets on some large tech names (e.g., Meta to $775 while keeping Overweight) and adjusting targets on other coverage names (FUTU, Unity, etc.). That research can move sector sentiment but is mixed for MS’s stock directly. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic positioning: analysts and coverage note MS is pushing into alternatives and private-credit (EquityZen deal, private credit ramp) — a longer‑term AUM growth driver but execution and margin timing make near‑term impact mixed. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational risk item: the Financial Times reported a Morgan Stanley wealth manager engaged with a high‑profile client’s broker activity before a geopolitical event — such media scrutiny can be a short‑term reputational/headline risk for the wealth business. Read More.

About Morgan Stanley

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.