Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Market Perform Rating at Citizens Jmp

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating reissued by analysts at Citizens Jmp in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.24.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 4.5%

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $191.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $168.43 and its 200-day moving average is $170.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $302.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.19. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $104.78 and a fifty-two week high of $194.59.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.41. The business 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 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Sharon Yeshaya sold 15,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.77, for a total transaction of $2,942,225.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 135,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,135,424.08. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $6,020,286.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock worth $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 502 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 4,216 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Financial Services LTD. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

More Morgan Stanley News

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.