Zacks Analyst Blog Features Alphabet, Morgan Stanley, ServiceNow, New England Realty Associates, and Bridger Aerospace
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Sep 02 2025
0mins
Should l Buy MS?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
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Analyst Views on MS
Wall Street analysts forecast MS stock price to rise
14 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 168.060
Low
132.00
Averages
185.00
High
219.00
Current: 168.060
Low
132.00
Averages
185.00
High
219.00
About MS
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company. The Company is engaged in providing a range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. Its segments include Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management. Its Institutional Securities segment provides a variety of products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions and ultra-high net worth clients. Its Wealth Management segment provides an array of financial services and solutions to individual investors and small to medium-sized businesses and institutions. Its Investment Management segment provides a range of investment strategies and products that span geographies, asset classes, and public and private markets to a diverse group of clients across institutional and intermediary channels. Its investment banking services consist of capital raising and financial advisory services, including the underwriting of debt and other products.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.

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- Market Reactions: The uncertainty surrounding AI's impact is causing fluctuations in stock prices, leading to a cautious approach among investors.
- Global Sentiment: The apprehension about AI's influence is a widespread sentiment, affecting investor confidence across various markets.
- Future Implications: The ongoing developments in AI technology are prompting discussions about its long-term implications for investment strategies and market stability.
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- AI Investment Outlook: With significant growth expected in AI capital expenditures for 2026, Nvidia's stock price remains flat compared to six months ago, and its forward P/E ratio has dropped to the lowest level since 2015, suggesting a cautious market sentiment regarding the future potential of the AI sector, which may impact investor confidence.
- Consumer Stock Performance: The relative weakness in consumer-exposed stocks contrasts sharply with the performance of traditionally defensive staples, leading to divergent interpretations in the market, which may reflect changes in cyclical demand or deeper economic concerns.
- Corporate Earnings Trends: The S&P 500 is projected to achieve low to mid-teens profit growth in the fourth quarter, surpassing consensus forecasts, yet the continuous outperformance of earnings results may lead to future adjustment risks as the market assumes such margins of victory.
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- AI-Driven Growth: Amazon's development of hundreds of generative AI applications has improved retail operational efficiency, with a 1.5 percentage point increase in operating margin in Q4 and a 24% growth in cloud services sales, highlighting the positive impact of AI investments.
- Meta Platforms Investment Outlook: Ackman's 10% investment in Meta benefits from its position as the second-largest ad tech company globally, leveraging AI to enhance ad performance, with a 6% year-over-year increase in ad prices in Q4 indicating strong advertiser demand.
- Smart Glasses Market Opportunity: Meta dominates the smart glasses market with over 70% share, and spending is forecasted to grow at 60% annually, presenting long-term growth opportunities through the integration of superintelligence systems.
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- Executive Resignations: The release of Epstein-related documents by the U.S. Department of Justice has led to resignations from several high-profile executives, including the CEO of Dubai's largest port and Goldman Sachs' Chief Legal Officer, highlighting the severe impact of associations with Epstein on careers.
- Widespread Impact: These resignations not only affect individual careers but also pose potential reputational risks and operational challenges for the companies involved, especially in a climate where public sensitivity to sexual crimes is increasing.
- Political Repercussions: The government of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also affected, despite his lack of direct ties to Epstein, as this incident could undermine his political support and influence future policy decisions.
- Social Response: Epstein's case has sparked widespread public discourse on the relationship between power and sexual crimes, prompting greater scrutiny of the moral responsibilities and transparency of high-level individuals, which may lead to stricter regulatory measures.
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- Increased Competition for Small Banks: The allure of digital banking powered by AI makes it difficult for small banks to compete effectively, as they often lack the resources needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive market, posing significant challenges to their business models.
- Data Dependency Issues: Companies reliant on publicly available data, such as Nasdaq (NDAQ) and S&P Global (SPGI), are facing vulnerabilities in their business models, as evidenced by their recent stock price declines, which reflect market concerns about their future prospects.
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- Market Value Loss: On February 3, the software industry experienced a panic-driven loss of approximately $300 billion in market value, highlighting the urgent need for increased investments in AI security.
- Security Spending Priority: Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall noted that 14% of organizations have reported AI-related breaches, projecting that the AI security market could grow from $16 billion to over $45 billion in the coming years, with a CAGR of 30-40%.
- Stock Recommendations: Marshall is optimistic about CrowdStrike (CRWD) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW), with price targets of $537 and $245 respectively, indicating potential upside of 25% and 47%.
- Long-Term Investment Opportunities: The analyst sees attractive entry points in stocks like Zscaler (ZS) and Netskope (NTSK), expecting Zscaler's annual recurring revenue growth to reach 24%-25% and Netskope's to exceed 30% year-over-year.
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