FY2026 EPS Estimates for Morgan Stanley Raised by Analyst

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings estimates for Morgan Stanley in a research report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $11.30 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $11.24. Erste Group Bank has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Morgan Stanley’s current full-year earnings is $8.56 per share.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $17.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.69 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.Morgan Stanley’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share.

MS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Evercore lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Morgan Stanley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $187.14.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Morgan Stanley stock opened at $163.20 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $171.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.86. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $259.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 39.18%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 30,330 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.62, for a total value of $5,569,194.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 280,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,501,921.22. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $3,966,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 171,005 shares in the company, valued at $31,464,920. This trade represents a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MS. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the fourth quarter worth $3,618,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 429,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $76,279,000 after buying an additional 64,401 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 28,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,995,000 after acquiring an additional 7,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter worth $125,000. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s proposed spot Bitcoin ETF (ticker MSBT) received an NYSE Arca listing notice — a step often right before launch. A live MS-branded spot-BTC ETF could create new fee income, broaden distribution of bitcoin exposure through MS channels, and intensify competition among ETF providers. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Nears Launch on NYSE
• Positive Sentiment: Potential underwriting/lead roles in a high-profile IPO (SpaceX) are being discussed in markets; if MS wins senior bookrunner roles it would generate meaningful investment-banking fees and bolster deal pipeline expectations. SpaceX IPO timing and banks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and the firm’s research remain active: a MarketBeat/Erste note nudged FY2026 EPS estimates slightly higher for MS (small positive to consensus), while MS’s own research continues to drive coverage and client flows across sectors — supportive for franchise value but not an immediate share catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are positioned for Morgan Stanley’s upcoming Q1 2026 report and guidance commentary — previews and models are circulating and may drive intraday volatility around the print. Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment has turned sour despite strong 2025 results; coverage stories note Reddit/social sentiment and retail positioning have shifted sharply bearish, which has pressured the stock even after record revenue and earnings beats. That crowd-sentiment shift is a likely proximate cause of the share weakness. Record Earnings Could Not Stop MS Shares From Falling
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded MS from strong-buy to hold — analyst downgrades can prompt short-term selling and signal reduced conviction from parts of the sell-side peer group. Zacks Downgrade / Coverage Note

About Morgan Stanley

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.