Erste Group Bank Estimates Morgan Stanley FY2026 Earnings

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 EPS estimates for Morgan Stanley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the financial services provider will earn $12.07 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast 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 $12.68 per share.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MS. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $214.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $243.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.50.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS stock opened at $216.34 on Monday. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $136.17 and a 1 year high of $232.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $212.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.27. The firm has a market cap of $341.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Morgan Stanley declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 32.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MS. River Street Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 22,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,783,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Oak Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth about $205,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.7% in the second quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Cordoba Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 3.6% in the second quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 29,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Morgan Stanley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley is being viewed as Wall Street’s leading bank for AI debt deals, boosting optimism about investment-banking and financing revenue tied to data-center buildouts.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media reports point to continued strength in Morgan Stanley’s outlook, including an article noting that FY2026 EPS forecasts were lifted.
• Positive Sentiment: Separate commentary says Morgan Stanley remains constructive on multiple sectors, including semiconductors and AI-linked infrastructure, reinforcing its image as a well-positioned market bellwether. Article: Morgan Stanley becomes Wall Street’s top bank for AI debt deals
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is also being driven by general search interest and media mentions around Morgan Stanley, which can add to short-term trading momentum. Article: Morgan Stanley (MS) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: At the same time, Morgan Stanley recently downgraded several software names, including Adobe and Salesforce, which underscores ongoing concerns about AI-related disruption in parts of tech and may temper enthusiasm elsewhere in the market.

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.