JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $104.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective boosted by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $100.00 to $104.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 19.62% from the stock’s previous close.

MS has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $121.80.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS stock traded down $0.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $129.39. 702,453 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,007,707. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $79.62 and a 52-week high of $136.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $121.49 and a 200 day moving average of $107.21. The company has a market cap of $208.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 14.4% during the second quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 99.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 4,643 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,317 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 238,462 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,176,000 after acquiring an additional 18,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Hampshire Trust purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at $205,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

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.