Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Evercore ISI's target price points to a potential upside of 8.87% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on MS. Bank of America raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $107.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $129.40.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS stock traded up $1.97 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $137.78. 12,389,736 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,932,170. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $138.08. The firm has a market cap of $221.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $129.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.58.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 12.58%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 7.39 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 115.1% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.