Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Downgraded to Hold Rating by HSBC

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) was downgraded by stock analysts at HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $131.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $128.00. HSBC’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 0.15% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on MS. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $115.63.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE MS opened at $131.20 on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $76.33 and a 52 week high of $136.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.14. The company has a market capitalization of $211.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $118.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.96.

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

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, Director Stephen J. Luczo sold 60,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $7,150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 138,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,488,718.71. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,711,805 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $491,159,000 after purchasing an additional 36,120 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.8% during the second quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 871 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 115.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 223,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,305,000 after buying an additional 119,633 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth approximately $87,558,000. Finally, Catalytic Wealth RIA LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the third quarter worth $579,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

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.