Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $240.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price upped by research analysts at UBS Group from $236.00 to $240.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group‘s price target points to a potential upside of 29.33% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday, July 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7%

MS stock traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $185.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,987,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,199,412. The company has a market cap of $292.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $198.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $152.80 and a 12 month high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 15.63%. The company’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Platform Technology Partners increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 14.6% during the third quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 1,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 370,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $69,638,000 after acquiring an additional 9,182 shares during the last quarter. Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Bfsg LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Chief U.S. strategist Mike Wilson said the midterm elections could serve as a “clearing event” for markets, potentially ending the correction that began in June. A recovery in equity prices would support Morgan Stanley’s fee-based wealth-management revenue and capital-markets activity. The election will be good news, regardless of outcome, says Morgan Stanley’s chief stock-market strategist
• Positive Sentiment: Wilson also sees the S&P 500 potentially reaching 8,500, which would be favorable for Morgan Stanley’s record client-asset base and wealth-management fees if the forecast materializes. Morgan Stanley’s Wilson Sees S&P 500 at 8,500
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds recorded approximately $20.8 million in net buying of MS shares on October 29, with substantially more ETFs buying than selling. The flow provides a modest technical tailwind, although it is not a fundamental earnings catalyst. Morgan Stanley sees $20.8 million in net ETF buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reported that hedge funds are underweight AI stocks for the first time since 2023. This may reduce some market exuberance, but it also signals continued uncertainty around a major source of equity-market gains and trading activity. Morgan Stanley says hedge funds are underweight AI stocks
• Negative Sentiment: The firm warned that the S&P 500 could still fall about 9% during an AI-led correction. A renewed market decline would weigh on asset-based fees, client sentiment and investment-banking activity. Morgan Stanley warns the S&P 500 could drop 9%
• Neutral Sentiment: Cousins Properties and Trammell Crow formed a venture to acquire the Dallas site for Morgan Stanley’s planned $1.2 billion high-rise. The project reinforces Morgan Stanley’s long-term Dallas presence but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Cousins Properties buys into Morgan Stanley’s planned $1.2 billion Dallas high-rise

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, institutions, governments and individual investors. Founded in 1935, the company is headquartered in New York City and serves clients through operations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.

Through its Institutional Securities segment, Morgan Stanley offers investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading, research, lending and related capital-markets services.