The price-to-earnings ratio for Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is above average at 12.46x. The 36-month beta value for MS is also noteworthy at 1.30. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 5 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 1 rating it as “overweight,” 17 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for MS is 1.23B, and at present, short sellers hold a 1.21% of that float. The average trading volume of MS on April 21, 2025 was 7.88M shares.
MS) stock’s latest price update
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) has experienced a decline in its stock price by -2.72 compared to its previous closing price of 109.18. However, the company has seen a fall of -1.76% in its stock price over the last five trading days. seekingalpha.com reported 2025-04-21 that Market volatility offers dividend investors a chance to buy high-quality BDCs like Blackstone Secured Lending and Morgan Stanley Direct Lending at attractive prices. Despite recession fears, BXSL and MSDL’s strong fundamentals, low non-performing loans, and robust liquidity make them appealing investment opportunities. BXSL’s $28 price and MSDL’s discount to NAV present attractive entry points, backed by well-known asset managers and growth-focused strategies.
MS’s Market Performance
Morgan Stanley (MS) has seen a -1.76% fall in stock performance for the week, with a -11.83% decline in the past month and a -22.96% plunge in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 3.32%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 4.76% for MS. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -4.99% for MS’s stock, with a -9.11% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of MS
Wells Fargo, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see MS reach a price target of $142. The rating they have provided for MS stocks is “Equal Weight” according to the report published on November 15th, 2024.
HSBC Securities gave a rating of “Buy” to MS, setting the target price at $118 in the report published on October 04th of the previous year.
MS Trading at -12.06% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought MS to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -25.22% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 4.76%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 3.32%, as shares sank -11.35% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -24.51% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, MS fell by -1.50%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +6.87% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $111.81. In addition, Morgan Stanley saw -15.51% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at MS starting from MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LL, who proposed sale 2,960 shares at the price of $108.84 back on Apr 16 ’25. After this action, MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LL now owns shares of Morgan Stanley, valued at $322,181 using the latest closing price.
GROSSMAN ERIC F, the Chief Legal/Admin Officer of Morgan Stanley, sale 10,068 shares at $111.65 during a trade that took place back on Apr 15 ’25, which means that GROSSMAN ERIC F is holding 199,274 shares at $1,124,093 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for MS
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.47 for the present operating margin
- 0.36 for the gross margin
The net margin for Morgan Stanley stands at 0.23. The total capital return value is set at 0.06. Equity return is now at value 13.88, with 1.13 for asset returns.
Based on Morgan Stanley (MS), the company’s capital structure generated 0.78 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.0.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 17.6 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 27.75. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 7.67. The receivables turnover for the company is 0.69for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.05. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 1.39.
Conclusion
In summary, Morgan Stanley (MS) has had a bad performance as of late. Analysts have bullish opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
