Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Hits New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $186.00 to $212.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley traded as high as $187.90 and last traded at $187.75, with a volume of 1256644 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $181.90.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Dbs Bank raised Morgan Stanley to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed trust/ETF paperwork for spot Bitcoin and Solana — a direct push into the retail/ETF crypto market that could create new fee streams, broaden product distribution, and position MS alongside big competitors (BlackRock, Fidelity). This strategic move is being widely reported and supports a growth narrative beyond traditional investment banking and wealth management. Morgan Stanley files for bitcoin, solana ETFs in digital assets push
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst actions back upside: Jefferies raised MS’s price target to $212 and kept a Buy; Wells Fargo lifted its target to $189 (maintained Equal Weight). Those revisions signal improved expectations for MS’s earnings trajectory and support near‑term stock momentum. Jefferies adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $212 Wells Fargo adjusts price target on Morgan Stanley to $189
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley acted as a joint book‑running manager on a $90M Adamas Trust senior‑note offering — a reminder of MS’s debt capital markets role. This is more of a business‑line highlight for MS (investment banking/ECM/DCM) than an immediate earnings swing for the bank.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution risks remain: launching crypto spot trusts requires SEC approvals and ongoing compliance/operational investment; competition could pressure fees and margins. Some commentary flags valuation and cost pressures even as growth accelerates — keep an eye on regulatory feedback and incremental expense for new product launches. Morgan Stanley: Valuation check after AI-driven European bank job cut forecasts and efficiency push

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MS. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 1.1% in the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $929,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 3,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 2,183 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.5% in the third quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $171.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.27. The company has a market cap of $298.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.26, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.