Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley in a report issued on Wednesday, March 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.21 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.18. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley's current full-year earnings is $8.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Morgan Stanley's Q2 2025 earnings at $2.02 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.08 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $8.34 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.34 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $9.21 EPS.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The company had revenue of $16.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Morgan Stanley's quarterly revenue was up 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $132.33.

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Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $125.25. The stock had a trading volume of 4,326,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,221,122. The stock has a market cap of $202.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $123.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $85.01 and a 12-month high of $142.03.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter valued at about $82,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $129,341,000. Finally, Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $228,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

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

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.60%.

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.