Morgan Stanley (MS) Projected to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is expected to release its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 15th. Analysts expect Morgan Stanley to post earnings of $2.95 per share and revenue of $19.2338 billion for the quarter. Interested persons can find conference call details on the company’s upcoming Q1 2026 earning report page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 9:30 AM ET.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.40. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $17.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Morgan Stanley to post $9 EPS for the current fiscal year and $9 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

NYSE:MS opened at $180.86 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.05. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $104.78 and a 1 year high of $192.68. The company has a market capitalization of $286.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 21,555 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 171,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,464,920. The trade was a 11.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $6,020,286.48. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 357,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,254,222.62. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 129,191 shares of company stock valued at $23,736,506 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,499 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 23,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,090,000 after purchasing an additional 2,743 shares during the last quarter. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Blue Sparrow LLC DE bought a new position in Morgan Stanley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $189,371,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Morgan Stanley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s strategists are urging “buy the dip” and arguing the S&P pullback is largely over — that bullish guidance from MS research is supporting investor sentiment and helping the stock. J.P.Morgan, Morgan Stanley urge buying the dip as US earnings stay resilient
• Positive Sentiment: Product news: Morgan Stanley has launched/entered the bitcoin ETF market (including press noting a very low‑cost offering). That expands fee product mix, positions MS to capture crypto flow from institutions/wealth clients, and is seen as a growth/AM product positive. Bitcoin News: Morgan Stanley Just Launched the Cheapest Bitcoin ETF on the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing analyst activity from Morgan Stanley (price‑target changes and sector notes) keeps the firm highly visible — that can attract attention to MS but is not an immediate in/out earnings catalyst for the bank itself. Morgan Stanley Raises Evercore (EVR) Target While Goldman Sachs Cuts on Valuation Reset
• Neutral Sentiment: Market positioning ahead of the banking sector’s Q1 reporting season highlights comparisons (JPM vs MS). That focus can boost MS stock if earnings momentum matches expectations, but it’s conditional on results. JPM or MS: Which Stock Looks More Compelling Ahead of Q1 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk remains (Middle East tensions, oil supply concerns) — broader market weakness or a risk‑off move would hurt trading and wealth businesses that drive MS revenue. Recent coverage notes these geopolitical risks could pressure markets. Stock Futures Down, Oil Rises as US Plans Blockade of Iranian Ports in Strait of Hormuz After Talks Fail

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Morgan Stanley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $195.00 to $196.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $215.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $173.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.94.

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.