Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Raised to $187.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $179.00 to $187.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential downside of 13.16% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MS. Zacks Research lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $219.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $196.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.35.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MS traded up $2.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $215.35. 600,279 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,694,611. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.61. The firm has a market cap of $339.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $128.81 and a 52-week high of $219.16.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 17.70% and a net margin of 14.65%.Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 14,690 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.24, for a total value of $2,779,935.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 365,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,224,370.48. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 51,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.59, for a total value of $9,744,068.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 282,142 shares in the company, valued at $53,209,159.78. The trade was a 15.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 77,476 shares of company stock worth $14,644,762. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick said the firm is aiming to build a $10 trillion wealth-management “juggernaut,” reinforcing the long-term growth story in a high-margin business that investors view as a key earnings driver. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive: Erste Group slightly trimmed FY2026 EPS estimates to $11.97 from $12.00, but still kept a Buy rating, and the new forecast is still above the consensus estimate of $11.85 per share.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Morgan Stanley’s exposure to a potential IPO boom and AI-related capital markets activity, which could boost underwriting and advisory fees if the deal pipeline accelerates in 2026. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also expanded AI access across its workplace wealth platform, a sign the firm is investing in tools that could deepen client relationships and improve advisor productivity. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other Morgan Stanley headlines were more informational than stock-moving, including commentary on inflation/Fed risks and a Reuters report that a Japan-affiliated Morgan Stanley securities venture plans to expand retail wealth assets.

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.