FY2026 EPS Estimate for Morgan Stanley Boosted by Analyst

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Monday, July 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $12.82 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $12.07. 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. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Morgan Stanley’s FY2027 earnings at $13.65 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Freedom Capital upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, HSBC raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Two 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.50.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

MS opened at $211.82 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $214.81 and a 200 day moving average of $190.37. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $136.17 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market cap of $334.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.23.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.57. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Morgan Stanley declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is presently 32.34%.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crown Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 35.7% during the 2nd quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Morgan Stanley by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 502 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Morgan Stanley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates increased: Erste Group Bank raised its Morgan Stanley EPS forecasts to $12.82 for FY2026 and $13.65 for FY2027, from $12.07 and $12.88, respectively. The firm maintained a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. This compares with a current-year consensus estimate of $12.68.
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto product expansion adds a potential growth avenue: Morgan Stanley launched Ethereum and Solana exchange-traded products, MSSE and MSOL, with a 0.14% expense ratio. The products plan to stake holdings and pass rewards to investors, expanding the firm’s digital-asset offering beyond Bitcoin and potentially increasing fee-generating assets. Morgan Stanley expands crypto lineup with Ether, Solana ETPs
• Positive Sentiment: Advisory activity remains strong: Morgan Stanley advised on 15 construction-sector transactions worth $81.3 billion during the first half of 2026, supporting the outlook for investment-banking revenue and demonstrating continued deal-making momentum. Morgan Stanley leads construction M&A advisory in H1 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong recent operating backdrop: Morgan Stanley’s latest reported quarter substantially exceeded expectations, with $3.46 in EPS and $21.35 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 27.1% year over year. Investors may already have reflected much of this strength in the stock’s valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and market-risk concerns may be limiting upside: At roughly 17 times earnings and near its 52-week high, the shares may be vulnerable to profit-taking or rotation away from financial and cyclical stocks. The new crypto products also face intense competition, and their near-term contribution to earnings is uncertain.

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.