Morgan Stanley Price Target Increased to $129.00 by JPMorgan Chase

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has seen its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $124.00 to $129.00 in a report issued on Tuesday. Currently, JPMorgan has assigned a "neutral" rating to the financial services company's stock. This new price target suggests that there is a potential upside of approximately 3.45% from Morgan Stanley's current share price.

Analyst Ratings

Other analysts have also revised their outlooks on Morgan Stanley recently. For instance, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price from $138.00 to $145.00, retaining a "market perform" rating for the stock. In contrast, Goldman Sachs has adjusted its price goal for Morgan Stanley down from $144.00 to $126.00, also maintaining a "neutral" rating. Citigroup lowered its target from $135.00 to $125.00 with a similar neutral outlook. Meanwhile, Barclays raised their price objective from $155.00 to $156.00 with an "overweight" rating. Additionally, Erste Group Bank revised their rating from "strong-buy" to "hold." In total, twelve research analysts have given hold ratings, while six have given a buy rating, leading to an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus target price of $132.33 according to MarketBeat.com.

Morgan Stanley's Stock Performance

As of Tuesday, shares of Morgan Stanley opened at $124.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14 and a current ratio of 0.80, indicating its financial health. Over the past year, its stock has fluctuated between a low of $85.01 and a high of $142.03. The 50-day simple moving average stands at $130.56, and the two-hundred day simple moving average is at $123.31. Morgan Stanley boasts a market capitalization of approximately $201.13 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69 and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18, along with a beta of 1.35.

Recent Earnings Results

Morgan Stanley recently announced its earnings results on January 16th. The financial services provider reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.22 for the quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.68. The company's revenue for the quarter reached $16.23 billion, surpassing analysts' predictions of $15.03 billion. Morgan Stanley achieved a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 14.39%. Revenue for the quarter grew by 25.9% compared to the same period last year. Analysts are projecting an EPS of 8.56 for the current fiscal year.

Insider Trading Activity

In related news, CFO Raja Akram sold 17,500 shares in a transaction on January 21st, at an average price of $136.01, totaling approximately $2.38 million. After this sale, he retains ownership of 81,440 shares valued at around $11.08 million. This sale reflects a 17.69% decrease in his stock ownership. Additionally, Eric F. Grossman, another insider, sold 13,097 shares on the same day at an average price of $136.20 for a total of about $1.78 million. He now directly owns 197,444 shares worth nearly $26.89 million, marking a 6.22% reduction in his stake. Insiders currently hold about 0.24% of the shares of Morgan Stanley.

Institutional Investment Trends

Recently, institutional investors have made notable adjustments to their holdings in Morgan Stanley. Peoples Bank KS and Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC both acquired new stakes in the company during the fourth quarter, each investing roughly $25,000. Other firms, such as IAG Wealth Partners LLC and Curio Wealth LLC, also purchased new positions valued at $28,000 and $31,000 respectively. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake by 104.7% in the fourth quarter, now owning 264 shares worth approximately $33,000. Approximately 84.19% of Morgan Stanley's stock is held by institutional investors.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a financial holding company that provides a range of financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals across various regions, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The company operates through different segments, namely Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management.

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