Recent Analysts’ Ratings Updates for Morgan Stanley (MS)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 4/27/2026 – Morgan Stanley was upgraded by Erste Group Bank AG from “hold” to “buy”.
• 4/24/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by BNP Paribas Exane from $195.00 to $205.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/20/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by BMO Capital Markets from $190.00 to $220.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/17/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Rothschild & Co Redburn from $171.00 to $183.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/17/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by HSBC Holdings plc from $153.00 to $177.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $189.00 to $200.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $186.00 to $205.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Barclays PLC from $219.00 to $230.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its “sector perform” rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada. They now have a $207.00 price target on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Evercore Inc from $190.00 to $210.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Argus from $210.00 to $225.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its “market perform” rating reaffirmed by Citizens Jmp.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $210.00 to $218.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/16/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by Bank of America Corporation from $220.00 to $225.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 4/7/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target lowered by Daiwa Securities Group Inc. from $187.00 to $175.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/7/2026 – Morgan Stanley was upgraded by UBS Group AG from “neutral” to “buy”. They now have a $196.00 price target on the stock, up from $195.00.
• 4/6/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $172.00 to $186.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/6/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $215.00 to $190.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/6/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target lowered by Evercore Inc from $215.00 to $190.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/1/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target lowered by HSBC Holdings plc from $175.00 to $153.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 4/1/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target lowered by Rothschild & Co Redburn from $175.00 to $171.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/1/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target lowered by Wolfe Research from $221.00 to $197.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 3/23/2026 – Morgan Stanley was downgraded by Zacks Research from “strong-buy” to “hold”.
• 3/10/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $173.00 to $179.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 3/9/2026 – Morgan Stanley was downgraded by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from “strong-buy” to “hold”.
• 3/5/2026 – Morgan Stanley had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by Erste Group Bank AG.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 11,118 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.75, for a total transaction of $2,120,758.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 169,403 shares in the company, valued at $32,313,622.25. This represents a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 110,444 shares of company stock valued at $20,665,049. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.