Morgan Stanley’s Stock Performance: Insights and Analyst Ratings

With a market cap of $192.9 billion, Morgan Stanley (MS) is a financial holding company that offers a range of financial products and services to governments, financial institutions, and individuals globally. Established in 1924, the New York-based firm operates through three primary segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management.

Over the past year, Morgan Stanley has outperformed the broader market but is now trailing behind for 2025. MS’ stock prices have risen by 24.8% in the last 52 weeks but fell 5.9% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) increased by 8.2% over the past year and dropped 4.7% YTD.

Focusing further, MS has also outperformed the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF), which saw a 19.7% increase over the last year. However, Morgan Stanley lagged behind XLF’s YTD increase of 1.7%.

On April 11, MS stock surged 1.4% following the release of its Q1 earnings. The company reported a year-over-year increase of 17.2% in net revenues, totaling $17.7 billion. Its adjusted earnings for the quarter reached $2.60, exceeding Wall Street estimates by 16.6%.

Analysts forecast that MS’ earnings per share (EPS) will increase by 7.9% year-over-year to $8.58 for the current year ending December. Notably, Morgan Stanley has consistently surpassed consensus estimates in each of the last four quarters.

The stock currently holds a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. Among 24 analysts covering MS, six have rated it as a “Strong Buy,” one as a “Moderate Buy,” and 17 have marked it as “Hold.”

This current rating is more conservative than three months ago when seven analysts had assigned “Strong Buy” recommendations.

On April 14, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Kian Abouhossein maintained a “Neutral” rating for Morgan Stanley and adjusted the price target from $125 to $122. The average price target of $130 indicates a potential upside of 9.9% from the current price levels. Additionally, the highest target set at $156 suggests a considerable upside of 31.8%.

On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article are for informational purposes only. For more information, please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.