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

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

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on MS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC raised Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $118.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.81.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

NYSE MS traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $135.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 508,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,043,260. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.34. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $76.33 and a 1-year high of $136.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $116.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.30.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.31. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 10.64%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.27 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the second quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 1,147.6% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at $29,000. 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.