The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s fourth-quarter revenue is $14.59 billion, down about 1.1% sequentially but up about 7.7% year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $1.96, down 3.7% sequentially and 2% higher year over year. For the full year, analysts are looking for revenue of $59.61 billion, up more than 23%, and EPS of $8.08, up nearly 23%.

Morgan Stanley stock trades at 12.2 times expected 2021 EPS, 13.1 times estimated 2022 per-share earnings of $7.57 and 11.9 times estimated 2023 earnings of $8.33. The stock’s 52-week range is $66.85 to $106.47, and the bank pays an annual dividend of $2.80 (yield of 2.83%). Total shareholder return over the past year was 34.6%.

Procter & Gamble

Dow stock Procter & Gamble Inc. (NYSE: PG) has posted a share price gain of 19.4% over the past 12 months, including a spike of 11.4% in the first two weeks of December. The stock has pulled back somewhat since then, but investors appear to have more of an appetite now for large-cap, blue-chip stocks, like consumer staples giant P&G. The company so far has been able to pass along price increases to customers, but that may have to change.

Of 23 analysts covering the stock, 12 rate the shares a Buy or Strong Buy and 10 more have a Hold rating. At a share price of around $159.80, the stock has outrun its median price target of $159.50. At the high price target of $185, the implied gain is 15.8%.

Analysts expect P&G to report second-quarter fiscal 2022 revenue of $20.34 billion, which would be flat sequentially and up 3% year over year. Adjusted EPS are pegged at $1.65, flat sequentially and up a penny year over year. For the full fiscal year, current estimates call for EPS of $5.91, up 4.4%, on sales of $79.16 billion, up 4%.

Shares trade at 27.0 times expected 2022 EPS, 25.1 times estimated 2023 earnings of $6.36 and 23.5-times estimated 2024 earnings of $6.79 per share. The stock’s 52-week range is $121.54 to $165.32. P&G pays an annual dividend of $3.48 (yield of 2.18%). Total shareholder return for the past year was 21.6%.

UnitedHealth

The country’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH), has posted a share price increase of nearly 34% over the past 12 months. That’s good enough to rank seventh among the 30 Dow Jones industrials for the period. UnitedHealth is Jim Cramer’s pick as the most likely Dow stock to repeat its 2021 performance in 2022.

Analysts remain bullish on the stock, with 22 of 26 assigning a rating of Buy or Strong Buy and three more rating the shares at Hold. At a share price of around $468.70, the upside potential based on a median price target of $525 is 12%. At the high target of $575, the upside potential is 22.3%.

The consensus estimate for fourth-quarter revenue is  $72.86 billion, up by less than 1% sequentially and by 11.3% year over year. Adjusted EPS are tabbed at $4.31, down about 4.7% sequentially and up 71% year over year. For the full year, analysts are forecasting EPS of $18.84, up 11.6%, on revenue of $286.83, also up 11.6%.

UnitedHealth stock trades at 24.9 times expected 2021 EPS, 21.7 times estimated 2022 earnings of $21.65 and 19.0 times estimated 2023 earnings of $24.65 per share. The stock’s 52-week range is $320.35 to $509.23. The Dow component pays an annual dividend of $5.80 (yield of 1.24%). Total shareholder return for the past 12 months was 35.3%.

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