On CNBC’s “Halftime Report Final Trades,” DCLA’s Sarat Sethi picked Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) ahead of quarterly earnings.

Morgan Stanley will release its second quarter earnings report before the opening bell on Wednesday, July 15. Analysts expect the bank to report quarterly earnings of $2.81 per share, up from $2.13 per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue is $19.34 billion. It reported $16.79 billion last year, according to Benzinga Pro.

Jim Lebenthal, partner and chief market strategist at Cerity Partners, named BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) as his final trade.

Lending support to his choice, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Alex Bond, on July 10, maintained BlackRock with an Outperform rating and raised the price target from $1,240 to $1,275, while Evercore ISI Group analyst Glenn Schorr maintained the stock with an Outperform rating and boosted the price target from $1,140 to $1,145.

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Stephanie Link, chief investment strategist, head of investment solutions and equity portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors, recommended Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF).

Supporting her view, HSBC analyst Saul Martinez, on Monday, upgraded Capital One Financial from Hold to Buy and raised the price target from $226 to $229.

Joseph M. Terranova, senior managing director for Virtus Investment Partners, picked Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO).

Raymond James analyst Justin Jenkins, on Monday, maintained Valero Energy with a Strong Buy and raised the price target from $300 to $340.

Price Action:

• Morgan Stanley shares fell 0.5% to close at $221.09 on Monday.
• BlackRock shares declined 0.4% to settle at $1,031.56 during the session.
• Capital One Financial shares gained 0.7% to close at $203.02 on Monday.
• Valero Energy shares rose 5.4% to settle at $295.79 during the session.

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