FY2026 EPS Estimates for Morgan Stanley Boosted by Analyst

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $12.07 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $11.97. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s current full-year earnings is $12.55 per share.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research cut Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.60.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 2.1%

NYSE MS opened at $210.98 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $212.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $332.78 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.23. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $136.17 and a fifty-two week high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The business had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.34%.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 143.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Morgan Stanley News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is being recognized as a leader in financing AI-related debt deals, suggesting stronger underwriting and advisory revenue tied to data-center expansion. Morgan Stanley becomes Wall Street’s top bank for AI debt deals
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage from market outlets also pointed to Morgan Stanley as constructive on broader macro and sector opportunities, including semiconductor and commodity trends, which can help sentiment around its research and client franchise. MarketWatch chip stocks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and rating updates continued to support expectations for solid earnings, with recent reports raising price targets and forecast estimates for fiscal 2026 and beyond. Morgan Stanley upgraded at Freedom Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive business headlines, the stock was under pressure in a broader risk-off session, which can weigh on large financials even when company-specific news is favorable.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company’s chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firm’s primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.