Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $174.7692.

A number of research firms have recently commented on MS. Citigroup boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 97.4% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 11,311 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,867,000 after purchasing an additional 9,345 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 45.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 30,854 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,905,000 after purchasing an additional 9,619 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 6,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 9,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,408,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morgan Stanley News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe Bruyette raised Morgan Stanley’s price target (reported Dec. 17), lifting broker sentiment and supporting upside to the shares. Morgan Stanley (MS) Price Target Raised by $18
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley management set an optimistic, bullish tone for 2026 — messaging that can boost investor confidence around revenue growth and capital-markets activity. Morgan Stanley (MS) Sets Bullish Tone for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Research mention: Morgan Stanley’s analysis estimating AI could automate ~37% of commercial‑real‑estate tasks and unlock ~$34B in efficiencies highlights the firm’s advisory/research reach and could help win CRE advisory and tech‑related mandates. Commercial Real Estate Turns to AI to Automate the Back Office
• Neutral Sentiment: MS screens well on earnings‑growth metrics in a recent stock‑scan writeup, reinforcing the narrative of durable earnings but offering no immediate catalyst. We Ran A Stock Scan For Earnings Growth And Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Passed With Ease
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage activity by MS analysts (e.g., public picks and sector calls) underscores the brokerage’s research platform but mostly influences recurring revenue over time rather than an immediate stock move. Microsoft (MSFT) Named Top Large-Cap Software Pick by Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece flags ongoing underperformance at Morgan Stanley’s Direct Lending arm, which could pressure fee and asset‑management revenue and is a clear near‑term negative for MS’s alternatives business. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending: Continues To Disappoint Going Into 2026

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $181.81 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $170.86 and a 200-day moving average of $156.50. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $182.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $288.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.