CHICAGO, Jan. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:CS), Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB) and UBS AG (NYSE:UBS).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday's Analyst Blog:

Morgan Stanley to Cut 1600 Jobs

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) became the latest Wall Street big to announce job cuts. Starting this week, it is planning to retrench 1,600 workers. However, the news does not come as a surprise since many other global banks have been doing the same over the last few years. The market instability and weakening revenue sources prompted the company to take this decision for reducing costs.

The job elimination will take place in Morgan Stanley's Institutional Securities segment. This will represent about 6% of the segment's total workforce. Notably, nearly 50% of the reduction will be made in the U.S.

Employees at all levels – sales persons, traders and investment bankers – are about to receive pink slips. Also, support staff in areas such as technology will be in the danger zone. Senior employees, who receive high compensation, are likely to be targeted the most.

However, the 16,800 financial advisers of the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management unit are likely to remain unaffected as this division is a more stable source of revenue for the company than the volatile trading and banking operations.

These job cuts are over and above about 4,000 retrenchments that Morgan Stanley did last year. Such a step by the company could be viewed as an effort to save its own skin. It reflects Morgan Stanley's attempts to improve profitability amid revenue headwinds due to a weak economic recovery and stricter capital requirements.

Moreover, Morgan Stanley has been significantly lowering its fixed income and commodities risk weighted assets (RWAs) since 2009. The company continues to restructure its fixed income businesses by doing away with complex structured product businesses. It anticipates fixed income RWAs to be about 25% lower than that of the third quarter of 2011 (about $347 billion) by 2013 and 30% below by the end of 2014.

Notably, Morgan Stanley is not the only global institution rendering so many jobless. Over the past several months, companies such as Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:CS), Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB) and UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) have outlined plans to slash workforce.

Morgan Stanley is expected to announce its fourth-quarter results on January 14. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is 31 cents per share. Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), the percentage difference between the most accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, for Morgan Stanley is -25.81%. This reflects that the company will likely miss the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the fourth quarter.

Currently, Morgan Stanley retains a Zacks Rank #3, which translates into a short-term Hold rating. Also, considering the fundamentals, we maintain a long term 'Neutral' recommendation on the stock.

Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
http://www.zacks.com

SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.