Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore Analyst Says

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective increased by Evercore from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Evercore’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.39% from the company’s current price.

MS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Argus raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $195.00 to $196.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $197.06.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $191.97 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $303.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $104.78 and a 52 week high of $194.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $168.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $170.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Michael A. Pizzi sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.55, for a total value of $3,691,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,598,777.60. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total transaction of $1,547,680.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 119,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,690,826.24. The trade was a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat: MS reported EPS $3.43 on $20.58B revenue, above expectations; equity trading and investment banking were key drivers and wealth management posted strong net new assets — a core reason the stock rallied. Business Wire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Multiple firms raised forecasts/targets after the print (Keefe Bruyette & Woods to $218, BofA to $225 and others), extending upside and supporting buy/ outperform calls. Benzinga: Analyst Price Target Moves
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return & dividend: Firm announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend and repurchased stock in Q1 — signals of cash generation and shareholder returns that strengthen the rally case. QuiverQuant: Q1 Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: New product traction — Bitcoin ETF: MS’s spot Bitcoin trust gathered ~ $100M+ in its first week, showing distribution capability in wealth channels and opening a new fee/revenue stream. Cointelegraph: Bitcoin ETF Inflows
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/capital outlook: CFO said U.S. capital rule overhaul should leave Morgan Stanley’s requirements flat or modestly lower — a potential structural tailwind if realized but dependent on final rulemaking. Reuters: Capital Relief/Lobbying
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic commentary: Management highlighted tokenization and blockchain as part of wealth‑platform evolution and flagged private‑credit risks — important long‑term themes but not immediate earnings drivers. Bitcoin.com: Tokenization Comments
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation notes: Filings show senior insider sales and some commentators warn valuation is rich after the rally — could cap upside and add short‑term volatility/rotation risk. Seeking Alpha: Valuation Commentary

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.