Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MS. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Evercore downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.0%

MS stock opened at $165.90 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $172.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.93. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68. The company has a market cap of $263.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. The company 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 revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total value of $1,547,680.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 119,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth about $233,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 11,437 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares in the last quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 13,986.1% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 45,498 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,409,000 after purchasing an additional 45,175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect strong Q1 results — Street forecasts point to double‑digit EPS growth heading into the bank’s upcoming Q1 report, which supports the firm’s earnings momentum and valuation backing. Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley continues to expand in digital assets and tokenization — the firm is building crypto and tokenized equities capabilities (executive interviews and filings), which could open new fee and custody revenue streams over time. Considering Tokenizing Every Asset Class: Morgan Stanley’s Oldenburg
• Positive Sentiment: Research team bullish on Europe energy — Morgan Stanley analysts see more upside in European energy stocks as structural supply risks from the Middle East reprice markets; positive for MS’s trading and advisory flows tied to energy clients. Morgan Stanley Sees More Gains Ahead for Europe’s Energy Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley research flags a hawkish‑rates risk — a note pushing back on Fed cut expectations highlights macro caution; this shapes markets but is a mixed signal for MS (trading/IB benefit from volatility, but equity markets may pull back). Morgan Stanley issues stark warning on Fed rate outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Street coverage shifts and routine analyst activity — Morgan Stanley continues active coverage/price‑target work across the market (e.g., adjustments on third‑party names); these are normal sell‑side flows that can move individual stocks but are not company‑specific for MS. Zacks / analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Private‑credit stress and fund redemption caps: reports show caps/limits on withdrawals at private‑credit funds and that Morgan Stanley capped redemptions on some products — this raises near‑term asset‑management and reputation risk and could pressure fee income and sentiment. Private credit’s ‘zero-loss fantasy’ is coming to an end MS caps withdrawals (coverage)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded Morgan Stanley from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” a near‑term negative for perception and potential fund flows; analyst downgrades can amplify intraday selling even if fundamentals remain intact. Zacks downgrade

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.