Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $102.00 at HSBC

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective boosted by HSBC from $100.00 to $102.00 in a report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Cfra upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday. JMP Securities restated a market perform rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $97.90.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.4 %

MS stock opened at $90.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $95.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.92.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 61.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total value of $393,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,140,842.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total value of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 400,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,172,000. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.41, for a total transaction of $393,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,140,842.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 302,355 shares of company stock valued at $26,753,102. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 3,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 4,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $423,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.