JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $100.00 to $104.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on MS. HSBC downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $128.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $121.80.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of MS stock traded down $0.36 on Friday, reaching $129.96. 5,013,286 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,083,265. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $79.62 and a one year high of $136.24. The stock has a market cap of $209.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $122.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.46.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 56.32%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other 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 transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 138.1% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

About Morgan Stanley

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.