Citigroup Increases Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target to $135.00

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target increased by analysts at Citigroup from $105.00 to $135.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s target price indicates a potential downside of 0.49% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on MS. HSBC raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Hsbc Global Res raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $107.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.81.

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 0.7 %

MS traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $135.67. 508,282 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,043,260. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.57 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $76.33 and a 52-week high of $136.24.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.