Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target at $187.14

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.1429.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock opened at $158.37 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $94.33 and a 12-month high of $192.68. The stock has a market cap of $251.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $171.09 and its 200-day moving average is $168.93.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The company had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the sale, the insider owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

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

More Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: NYSE Arca issued a formal listing notice for Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT), a step that typically signals an imminent launch — this should create a new distribution channel and potential fee revenue/asset-gathering opportunity for MS. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Gets Official Listing Announcement By NYSE: Analyst Says This ‘Typically’ Means Launch Imminent
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Morgan Stanley plans to price its Bitcoin ETF among the lowest-fee options in market — a potentially effective growth tactic to win flows vs. incumbents, which could translate into AUM growth and recurring fees if the fund scales. Morgan Stanley’s (MS) New Bitcoin ETF to Offer Lowest Fees in the Market
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group nudged up its FY2026 EPS forecast for Morgan Stanley — a small analyst revision that supports the firm’s longer-term earnings trajectory and can be read as reaffirmation by the Street (helpful for sentiment).
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are entering Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 earnings season; previews and expectations create two-way risk (beats can lift the stock; misses can amplify weakness). See the expectations summary for context. Morgan Stanley’s Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader business notes and research from MS (e.g., comparisons with Schwab and sector-level analyst actions) underline that Morgan Stanley’s wealth-management franchise remains a differentiator, but such structural positives may be priced in. MS vs. SCHW: Who Holds the Edge in the Evolving Wealth Landscape?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and market-positioning headwinds — a stronger dollar, haven flows tied to the Middle East conflict and broad tech/financial volatility — are pressuring stocks today and likely weigh on MS despite the ETF/newsflow. This kind of risk-off can drive short-term selling even when firm-specific items look constructive. Wall Street’s FX Roadmap Roiled by Dollar’s Best Run Since 2024

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.