Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Stock Price Target Raised at HSBC

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) had its target price increased by HSBC from $215.00 to $219.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $243.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.10.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $193.65 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $211.67 and a 200 day moving average of $201.05. The company has a market capitalization of $305.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.21. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $151.84 and a 12 month high of $232.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 37.19%.

Morgan Stanley announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 12.0% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 279,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,452,000 after purchasing an additional 30,010 shares during the period. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Finally, Talon Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC now owns 19,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,036,000 after buying an additional 3,228 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target: HSBC lifted its Morgan Stanley target from $215 to $219 while maintaining a “Hold” rating, implying potential upside from recent levels. HSBC Issues Positive Forecast for Morgan Stanley Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Texas expansion supports long-term growth: Morgan Stanley plans to establish a major financial hub in Dallas, reportedly creating more than 3,800 jobs. The investment is aimed at expanding wealth-management operations and reaching affluent clients in the growing Texas market. Morgan Stanley to Build Financial Hub in Texas
• Neutral Sentiment: Interest-rate effects are mixed: Climbing Treasury yields are reshaping wealth-management and capital-markets sentiment. Higher yields can support net interest income and client cash yields, but bond-market volatility and tighter financial conditions may weigh on trading activity and valuations. Morgan Stanley in Focus as Treasury Yields Rise
• Negative Sentiment: Financial-sector rotation is pressuring the stock: Investors have been shifting toward technology shares, causing financial stocks including Morgan Stanley to lag. Morgan Stanley also warned that weak market breadth and persistent bond-market volatility could limit near-term equity-market momentum. Financials Slump Amid Sector Rotation Into Technology

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.

Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.