Brokerages Set Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Target Price at $185.93

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $185.9286.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MS shares. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $211.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE:MS opened at $177.46 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $94.33 and a 52 week high of $192.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $180.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 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.

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong capital returns and balance-sheet cushion support the rally — coverage notes Morgan Stanley ended 2025 with a large liquidity cushion and a $20B buyback plan (about $17.4B still available) alongside an 8% dividend increase, which investors view as shareholder-friendly and supportive of the stock. Does Morgan Stanley’s Liquidity Cushion Support Its Capital Returns?
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley asset-management product update — Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (MSDL) reported Q4 results and declared a dividend, underscoring fee-income/alternative-asset momentum inside MS’s wealth & asset-management franchises. That supports the idea of more stable fee streams. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Posts Q4 Results, Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals: MS beat Q4/Jan-quarter EPS and revenue expectations (January 15 release) and consensus still models mid?single-digit earnings growth for the year — that underlying operating beat remains a tailwind for sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-performance commentary and analyst attention — coverage noting MS has outperformed the S&P recently can attract momentum flows but also raises expectations for continued delivery. Is Morgan Stanley Stock Outperforming the S&P 500?
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory / institutional moves — filings show Morgan Stanley altering some substantial?holder positions in third parties, a normal part of portfolio/institutional activity; watch for any larger balance-sheet or trading-book disclosures. Morgan Stanley Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in PLS Group
• Negative Sentiment: Advisor?recruiting and wealth?channel costs are a material headwind — Barron’s highlights rising recruiting costs for advisors at Morgan Stanley, which can pressure margins in the Wealth Management segment and temper near?term earnings leverage. That is likely constraining part of the valuation multiple today. Morgan Stanley’s Advisor Recruiting Costs Pile Up

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Charles A. Smith sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.08, for a total value of $1,547,680.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 119,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,690,826.24. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. This represents a 11.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $212,000. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 23.6% during the second quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,048,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $429,398,000 after purchasing an additional 101,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 92.6% in the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.