** Flight Centre Travel Group FLT.AX rises as much as 2.5% to A$16.44
** Morgan Stanley starts with "overweight" and PT of A$22
** Says FLT has long-term mindset and competitive advantages of scale, brand and switching costs
** "We are very confident FLT can automate to improve margins in excess of market expectations"
** Sees competition from online travel agents, suppliers attempting to grow direct-to-consumer sales and new AI entrants as key risks to co
** Stock rated "buy" on avg; median PT is A$20.23 - LSEG
** FLT fell ~18% in 2024
(Reporting by John Biju in Bengaluru)
((John.Biju@thomsonreuters.com;))