Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Hold Rating at Erste Group Bank

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Erste Group Bank in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MS. Wall Street Zen raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.93.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $2.75 during trading on Thursday, hitting $164.83. 664,392 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,479,316. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.62. The firm has a market cap of $261.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $94.33 and a 52-week high of $192.68.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total transaction of $3,691,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total transaction of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 280,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,501,921.22. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 12.0% during the second quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 3,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 23.2% during the second quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 16,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,276,000 after purchasing an additional 3,045 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.7% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 10,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 81.8% during the second quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 5,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Filed an amended S‑1 advancing a spot Bitcoin Trust: Morgan Stanley updated its registration for a Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust that would directly hold BTC and names Coinbase Custody and BNY Mellon for custody/fund services — a concrete step toward capturing ETF fees and asset-gathering if approved. Wall Street Giant Morgan Stanley Amends Bitcoin ETF Filing With Coinbase In Key Role
• Positive Sentiment: Backing crypto financing: Morgan Stanley is reported to have structured or is providing strategic financing (up to ~$1B) to crypto miner/operator Core Scientific — showing MS is monetizing crypto relationships beyond asset-management and ETF product work. That can generate fees and trading/investment income, though it also raises credit/sector exposure. Core Scientific secures strategic financing with Morgan Stanley for up to $1B
• Neutral Sentiment: Market plumbing context from Michael Saylor: Saylor argued that shadow‑bank rehypothecation and limited bank lending against Bitcoin mechanically suppress upside — he explicitly contrasted the ease of borrowing against stocks at banks like Morgan Stanley with current Bitcoin credit rails. The comments underscore why institutional on‑ramps (like MS’s ETF) matter but also highlight structural limits to near‑term crypto monetization. Bitcoin Price Suppressed By Shadow Banking Rehypothecation, Saylor Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/strategic tone: Morgan Stanley strategists reiterated a constructive U.S. equity outlook (saying markets can withstand geopolitical shocks unless oil stays elevated), which can support risk appetite for bank stocks broadly but is a background rather than company‑specific catalyst. Morgan Stanley Maintains Bullish US Stock Outlook Despite Iran Conflict
• Negative Sentiment: Workforce reduction: Multiple reports say Morgan Stanley will cut ~2,500 jobs (~3% of staff) across investment banking, wealth and trading. That is a near‑term negative for morale and may indicate restructuring costs, but the company frames it as prioritization / efficiency (and outlets note MS posted record revenue last year). The move reduces expense run‑rate longer term but can unsettle investors short term. Morgan Stanley cuts 2,500 jobs despite posting record revenue year across all divisions

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.