Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Receives $168.23 Average Target Price from Analysts

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $168.2308.

MS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $163.78 on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $166.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The company has a market capitalization of $261.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.87.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The business had revenue of $18.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is 41.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

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.