Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, Leidos, and Others Featured in CNBC's 'Final Trades'
Morgan Stanley and Analyst Ratings: Joe Terranova from Virtus Investment Partners selected Morgan Stanley as his final trade, while Citigroup's Keith Horowitz maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $130 to $155.
Exxon Mobil's Deal with Rosneft: Exxon Mobil has entered an agreement with Russia's Rosneft to explore recovering losses from its 2022 withdrawal, potentially reclaiming a $4.6 billion write-down.
Performance of Selected Stocks: Leidos Holdings, chosen by Stephen Weiss, saw a price target increase from $185 to $210, while shares of Charles Schwab and iShares Ethereum Trust ETF also experienced gains.
Market Trends: Charles Schwab reported a 15% growth in total client assets year-over-year, benefiting from high share prices and Federal Reserve rate cuts.
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- Surge in Hybrid Sales: According to a report by Care Ratings, hybrid vehicle sales in India reached 362,866 units in the financial year ending March 2026, up nearly fourfold from 98,010 units in 2020, indicating a strong consumer demand for better fuel efficiency, with hybrids expected to account for 10% of total car sales by FY2027.
- Limited EV Market Share: Despite the rising demand for electric vehicles, only 131,865 units are projected to be sold by March 2026, reflecting a consumer preference for hybrids due to concerns over inadequate charging infrastructure.
- Market Leaders: Toyota and Maruti Suzuki dominate the hybrid vehicle market in India, with Toyota selling 366,896 cars including 91,536 strong hybrids in FY2026, while Maruti sold 20,466 strong hybrids, further solidifying their market positions.
- Future Model Launches: Experts predict that more hybrid models will be launched in the next 12 months than in the past five years combined, driven by increasing consumer acceptance of hybrids that require no change in refueling habits, thereby propelling market growth.
- Profit Source Analysis: Ford's F-Series trucks account for an astonishing 90% of the company's global profits, highlighting the critical role of the F-150 in maintaining financial health despite the automaker's diverse portfolio of around 20 models.
- Production Disruption Impact: A fire at a supplier's plant has severely disrupted aluminum production for the F-150, potentially costing Ford up to $2 billion, with recovery expected to be uneven and delayed into 2026.
- Sales Decline Situation: In the first quarter of 2023, F-Series sales in the U.S. dropped by 16% year-over-year, while competitors like GM and Stellantis reported stable or increased sales, indicating heightened market pressure on Ford.
- Response Measures: In response to these challenges, Ford is skipping its traditional summer shutdown and adding a third shift at its F-150 production sites, demonstrating a strong commitment to recovering lost market share as quickly as possible.
- Stock Decline: Constellation Energy (CEG) shares fell after closing at $299.14 last Thursday, with a 3.1% drop today to $277.88 as of 2:54 p.m. ET, indicating market concerns about its outlook.
- Target Price Adjustment: Morgan Stanley maintained a buy rating but lowered its price target from $385 to $360, which still implies a potential upside of about 25.2% from yesterday's closing price, reflecting a cautiously optimistic long-term view.
- Market Performance: Constellation Energy has a market cap of $104 billion, with a day's trading range between $276.80 and $289.00, and a 52-week range of $195.85 to $412.70, highlighting the stock's volatility in the market.
- Investor Confidence: While the lowered target may disappoint short-term investors, long-term investors should focus on the company's fundamentals, with the next financial results announcement scheduled for May 11, 2026, expected to provide clearer insights into its future.
- Clinical Trial Data Release: Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is set to release phase three clinical trial data for its RNA interference therapeutic Plozasiran, aimed at treating severe hypertriglyceridemia, in Q3 2026, which is expected to drive stock price increases as the market opportunity remains underappreciated.
- Analyst Rating Upgrade: Morgan Stanley upgraded Arrowhead's stock rating from equal weight to overweight and raised its price target from $78 to $100, implying a 44.4% upside from Monday's close, reflecting strong confidence in the company's future performance.
- Strong Stock Performance: Arrowhead's stock has surged over 473% in the past year, indicating robust market demand for its products and investor confidence, with analysts believing this momentum will continue.
- Market Consensus Support: Among the 13 analysts covering the stock, 10 have assigned a buy or strong buy rating, indicating a widespread positive outlook on Arrowhead's growth potential, further bolstering investor confidence.
- Rating Update: On April 16, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage of Comcast (CMCSA) with an Equal Weight rating and a $31 price target, noting that while the current valuation appears attractive, there are no near-term catalysts for valuation expansion.
- Cash Flow Performance: Comcast generated a record $19 billion in free cash flow in 2025, returning nearly all of it to shareholders; however, cash flow from its broadband business is under pressure due to increased competition, resulting in a loss of over 700,000 domestic customers.
- Increased Customer Attrition: The company's connectivity business is facing mounting pressure from fixed wireless access competition, with customer attrition rising by 73% last year, and the fourth quarter alone saw a loss of 181,000 customers, indicating a troubling acceleration in losses.
- Management Response Measures: Comcast is spinning off its cable networks into Versant Media to streamline operations and has introduced aggressive promotions aimed at retaining broadband customers and expanding wireless adoption, which are expected to weigh on EBITDA margins through 2026.
- Executive Transition: Pfizer's Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Andrew Baum is set to become a senior strategic advisor to CEO Albert Bourla before fully exiting the company by year-end, indicating ongoing operational simplification without major strategic shifts.
- Career Background: Joining Pfizer in 2024, Baum previously led global healthcare at Citi as managing director of equity research, and his departure may impact Pfizer's higher-level strategic management due to his extensive industry experience.
- Analyst Insights: BMO Capital Markets analysts suggest that this personnel change reflects Pfizer's efforts to optimize its operational structure, indicating adjustments at the executive level aimed at enhancing efficiency.
- Operational Impact: While Baum will still be involved in high-level strategic management, his reduced role in day-to-day operations may affect Pfizer's decision-making speed and agility in executing daily business activities.











