Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Gets Price Target Bump from HSBC

by · The Markets Daily

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) had its target price increased by investment analysts at HSBC from $215.00 to $219.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. HSBC’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.58% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on MS. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $240.00 to $223.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.10.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on MS

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $192.82 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $151.84 and a 52 week high of $232.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $304.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $211.20 and a 200-day moving average of $201.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.Morgan Stanley’s revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 12.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crown Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% during the second quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% during the second quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 35.7% in the 2nd quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank OZK increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank OZK now owns 1,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 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: Morgan Stanley is committing approximately $684 million to a new Dallas regional hub expected to accommodate about 3,800 employees by 2035. The investment could strengthen the firm’s wealth-management presence in Texas and support long-term growth among affluent clients. Morgan Stanley Commits $684M to Uptown Dallas Regional Hub
  • Positive Sentiment: The company is establishing a Digital Asset Lab to evaluate blockchain, tokenization and other digital-asset applications for financial markets. The initiative may create future revenue opportunities, though near-term earnings impact is unclear. Morgan Stanley’s New Digital Asset Lab
  • Positive Sentiment: Zacks argues that the recent decline has pushed MS into technically oversold territory, while upward earnings-estimate revisions could provide a catalyst for a rebound. Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter also featured substantial revenue and EPS beats, offering fundamental support. Morgan Stanley Looks Ripe for a Turnaround
  • Neutral Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target to $219 from $215 but retained a “Hold” rating, suggesting limited conviction despite implied upside from recent levels. HSBC Forecast for Morgan Stanley
  • Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is scheduled to report third-quarter results in October, with analysts expecting single-digit EPS growth. The upcoming report remains the next major potential catalyst. Morgan Stanley Earnings Preview
  • Negative Sentiment: Citi lowered its price target for MS to $210, adding to valuation pressure and likely contributing to the stock’s weakness. Citi Lowers Morgan Stanley Price Target
  • Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley strategist Mike Wilson warned that an S&P 500 correction may be necessary and highlighted weak market breadth. A broader equity-market pullback could reduce trading, investment-banking and asset-management activity. Morgan Stanley Strategist Warns of Market Correction

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.

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