HSBC Lowers Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $153.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price lowered by equities researchers at HSBC from $175.00 to $153.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. HSBC’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 8.04% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.13.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MS stock traded up $1.80 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $166.37. The company had a trading volume of 4,172,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,523,629. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $94.33 and a 1-year 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 market cap of $264.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50 day moving average of $170.12 and a 200 day moving average of $169.22.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $31,464,920. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 103.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,019,000 after buying an additional 6,448 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 467,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,273,000 after purchasing an additional 9,056 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 97.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,644,000 after buying an additional 11,311 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 52.6% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 113,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,043,000 after buying an additional 39,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, A4 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $855,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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.