Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Price Target Increased to $105.00 by Analysts at Evercore ISI

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its price target upped by Evercore ISI from $102.00 to $105.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. JMP Securities reissued a market perform rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $98.48.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $100.12 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $96.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.92. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $103.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The company had revenue of $15.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. Morgan Stanley’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.8 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.93%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total transaction of $692,687.94. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at $4,609,353.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total value of $692,687.94. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at $4,609,353.14. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total transaction of $9,021,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 414,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,425,422.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 118,154 shares of company stock worth $10,722,696. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,553 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $994,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.9% during the first quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 3,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 4.6% during the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. West Paces Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.1% in the first quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 9.9% in the first quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by 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.