Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Target Cut by BMO Capital Markets

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $250.00 to $215.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.35% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $235.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $223.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $219.90.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MS stock opened at $189.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $151.84 and a 1-year high of $232.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $208.40 and a 200 day moving average of $202.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $299.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.22.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The business’s revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 12.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Venture Visionary Partners LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 6.4% during the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 86,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,312,000 after acquiring an additional 5,254 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 42.4% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 410 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.2% in the third quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 7,913 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,488,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth about $361,000. Finally, Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% during the third quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $839,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer endorsed Morgan Stanley after its recent pullback, pointing to the company’s buyback authorization and arguing that the decline has been excessive relative to the firm’s underlying prospects. Jim Cramer Backs Morgan Stanley After Its Pullback
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley received a role as a joint lead manager for the United Kingdom’s planned digitally native government bond, potentially creating fees and strategic opportunities in digital-asset and securities-market infrastructure. UK Names Banks to Lead Digital Government Bond
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm proposed converting eight Eaton Vance municipal-bond mutual funds, with nearly $10 billion in assets, into ETFs. The move could improve product competitiveness and distribution, but shareholder approval is still required. Morgan Stanley Plans Eaton Vance Fund Conversions
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to rate Morgan Stanley favorably overall, with coverage summarized as “Moderate Buy” and an average price target near $219.90. However, the consensus includes a meaningful number of hold ratings, limiting the strength of the signal. Morgan Stanley Receives Moderate Buy Rating
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets reduced its Morgan Stanley price target from $250 to $215 while retaining an “Outperform” rating. The lower target signals more restrained expectations and may be weighing on sentiment despite the implied upside. BMO Cuts Morgan Stanley Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Ahead of the next earnings report, Zacks said Morgan Stanley lacks the combination of factors typically associated with a likely earnings beat. That caution, combined with uncertainty around near-term trading and investment-banking results, is adding pressure after the recent pullback. Morgan Stanley Earnings Expectations

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.