Wall Street analysts expect Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) to post sales of $15.13 billion for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Four analysts have released earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley. The highest sales estimate is $15.68 billion and the lowest is $13.95 billion. Morgan Stanley posted sales of $15.72 billion in the same quarter last year, suggesting a negative 3.8% year-over-year growth rate. The company is expected to announce its next quarterly results before the market opens on Monday, January 1.

On average, analysts expect Morgan Stanley to report annual sales of $59.14 billion for the current year, with estimates ranging from $57.15 billion to $60.41 billion. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect the company to record sales of $61.43 billion, with estimates ranging from $59.74 billion to $63.61 billion. Zacks’ sell calculations are an average average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts who provide coverage for Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Rating) last released its results on Wednesday, January 19. The financial services provider reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.08 for the quarter, beating analyst consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.08. The company posted revenue of $14.52 billion in the quarter, versus a consensus estimate of $14.59 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 15.46% and a net margin of 24.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter increased 6.8% year over year. During the same period a year earlier, the company posted EPS of $1.92.

A number of equity research analysts have weighed in on MS shares recently. UBS Group raised its price target on Morgan Stanley from $119.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a Tuesday, January 4, report. Odeon Capital Group upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a Friday, January 28 report. Barclays raised its price target on Morgan Stanley from $110.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a Monday, January 3 report. Zacks Investment Research has upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and has set a target price of $91.00 for the stock. in a report on Wednesday, March 16. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating on Morgan Stanley shares in a Friday, Dec. 17 report. Twelve research analysts gave the stock a hold rating and ten gave the company a buy rating. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $107.44.

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 15,471 shares of the company in a trade dated Thursday, January 20. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.80, for a total value of $1,497,592.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available on the SEC’s website. Additionally, COO Jonathan Pruzan sold 18,414 shares of the company in a trade dated Wednesday, January 26. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.05, for a total value of $1,860,734.70. The disclosure of this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,461 shares of the company worth $7,060,891 over the past three months. 0.23% of the shares are currently held by insiders.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently changed their positions in the company. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Morgan Stanley shares by 6.7% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,977 shares of the financial services provider worth $3,696,000 after acquiring 2,391 additional shares in the last quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co. increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.8% in the third quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co. now owns 42,653 shares of the financial services provider worth $4,151,000 after buying an additional 1,959 shares last quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.9% in the third quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 52,833 shares of the financial services provider worth $5,141,000 after buying 2,930 additional shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 3.3% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 31,445 shares of the financial services provider worth $3,060,000 after buying 1,013 additional shares in the last quarter. Finally, TPI Fund Managers Ltd increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.6% in the third quarter. TPI Fund Managers Ltd now owns 184,680 shares of the financial services provider worth $17,971,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. 83.79% of the shares are currently held by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MS opened at $86.99 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.16. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $76.25 and a 1-year high of $109.73.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 15. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 31 received a dividend of $0.70. This represents an annualized dividend of $2.80 and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 28. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.87%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile (Get a rating)

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to businesses, 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.

See also

Get a Free Copy of Zacks Research Report on Morgan Stanley (MS)

For more information on Zacks Investment Research’s research offerings, visit Zacks.com

This instant news alert was powered by MarketBeat’s narrative science technology and financial data to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reports. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat’s editorial team prior to publication. Please send questions or comments about this story to [email protected]

Should you invest $1,000 in Morgan Stanley right now?

Before you consider Morgan Stanley, you’ll want to hear this.

MarketBeat tracks daily the highest rated and most successful research analysts on Wall Street and the stocks they recommend to their clients. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the market ripples…and Morgan Stanley didn’t make the list.

While Morgan Stanley currently has a “Buy” rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

See the 5 actions here