FY2024 EPS Estimates for Morgan Stanley Increased by Analyst

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of Morgan Stanley in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 8th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $7.23 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $7.19. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley's current full-year earnings is $7.33 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Morgan Stanley's Q4 2024 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $2.04 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.97 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.94 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.87 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.22 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.95 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.95 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.17 EPS.

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC cut shares of Morgan Stanley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.80.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE:MS traded down $4.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.41. The stock had a trading volume of 6,844,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,881,951. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $83.09 and a 52 week high of $136.24. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $128.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.42.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 115.1% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley's payout ratio is 56.32%.

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.