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Morgan Stanley (MS) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

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In the latest trading session, Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) closed at $102.20, marking a +0.12% move from the previous day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.6% loss on the day. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.39%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 1.12%.

The investment bank's stock has dropped by 1.62% in the past month, falling short of the Finance sector's gain of 2.41% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.15%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Morgan Stanley in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.64, up 18.84% from the prior-year quarter. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $14.36 billion, reflecting an 8.21% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.03 per share and revenue of $58.86 billion, which would represent changes of +28.75% and +8.72%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Morgan Stanley. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.37% higher. At present, Morgan Stanley boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Morgan Stanley is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 14.52. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 16.6 for its industry.

Investors should also note that MS has a PEG ratio of 1.05 right now. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. Financial - Investment Bank stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.13 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Financial - Investment Bank industry is part of the Finance sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 103, finds itself in the top 41% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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