Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $183.00 Price Target at Barclays

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $156.00 to $183.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.54.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $160.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $166.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $152.98 and a 200 day moving average of $136.68.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company had revenue of $18.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 41.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MS. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth about $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.