Oppenheimer Raises Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $105.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price objective upped by Oppenheimer from $101.00 to $105.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Cfra raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $98.30.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MS traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $93.64. 5,036,988 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,504,937. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $69.42 and a 52 week high of $95.57. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 11,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $1,009,008.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,368,457.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total value of $8,730,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares in the company, valued at $30,555,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 237,855 shares of company stock valued at $21,084,057 in the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 23,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,178,000 after buying an additional 1,386 shares in the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 1st quarter valued at about $342,000. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.1% in the first quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 10,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $948,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $8,304,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 0.3% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 751,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,793,000 after purchasing an additional 2,043 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.