Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given New $129.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $124.00 to $129.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target points to a potential upside of 11.95% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res cut Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Erste Group Bank lowered Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.53.

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Morgan Stanley Stock Down 3.2 %

Morgan Stanley stock traded down $3.77 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $115.23. The stock had a trading volume of 7,347,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,527,969. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $129.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.59. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $85.01 and a 12-month high of $142.03. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $185.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 13,097 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.20, for a total value of $1,783,811.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 197,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,891,872.80. This trade represents a 6.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total value of $2,380,175.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,076,654.40. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 6,156 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 1ST Source Bank grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 15,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,002,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 4,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,408 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Omnia Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.