FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES
Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley

$MS
NYSEFinancials

111 stories mentioning Morgan StanleyUpdated 20h ago

Morgan Stanley projected SpaceX's revenue could reach $3.4 trillion by 2040 with adjusted EBITDA topping $2.7 trillion.

Wire

Top Midday Stories: Stocks Down, Oil Up as Trump Vows Strong Response to Iran Attacks; Vertiv Q2 Revenue Misses Estimates

All three major US stock indexes were down in late-morning trading Wednesday after President Trump vowed to hit Iran hard in response to recent attacks on US forces in Jordan and ahead of the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates to be announced in the afternoon.In company news, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) reported Q2 adjusted earnings Wednesday of $1.52 per diluted share, up from $0.95 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $1.42. Second-quarter revenue was $3.27 billion, up from $2.64 billion a year ago but below the FactSet consensus of $3.38 billion. For full-year 2026, the company expects adjusted diluted EPS of $6.65 to $6.75, above the FactSet consensus of $6.49. Vertiv said it expects Q3 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.77 to $1.83, in line with the FactSet consensus of $1.79. Vertiv shares were down 12.8% around midday.CBIZ (CBZ) agreed to be acquired by Grant Thornton Advisors in an all-cash deal with an enterprise value of $5 billion, the companies said Wednesday. Under the deal terms, CBIZ shareholders will receive $55 in cash per share, the companies said. CBIZ shares were up 16.8% around midday.The UK's Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it is investigating whether Microsoft (MSFT) provided pertinent information on changes to Microsoft 365 personal and family subscription plans. Microsoft shares were up 0.3%.NextEra Energy (NEE) and Brookfield (BN) are part of a strategic partnership group that will develop a data center campus at the Energy Department's Paducah Site in Kentucky for $100 billion, according to a joint statement. Big Rivers Electric Power, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative and Paducah Power System are also in the partnership. NextEra shares were down 0.1%, while Brookfield shares were down 2.2%.Morgan Stanley's (MS) mortgage bankers have allegedly been pressured to approve mortgages for wealthy clients despite underwriting concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing current and former employees, emails and internal documents. Morgan Stanley shares were down 3.3%.Price: $54.55, Change: $+7.85, Percent Change: +16.81%

$BN$CBZ$MS$MSFT$NEE$VRT
Most US Banks Beat Earnings Forecasts Amid Favorable Revenue Trends, Raymond James Says
US Markets

Most US Banks Beat Earnings Forecasts Amid Favorable Revenue Trends, Raymond James Says

Most reporting banks in the US have beaten earnings forecasts for the second quarter, driven by favorable revenue trends, Raymond James said in a report Monday.Some 66% of the 430 publicly traded banks have topped earnings-per-share estimates, said Raymond James' analysts, who used Friday as the cutoff date for their analysis. The banking industry reported a 74% beat rate in the first quarter and 77% in the year-ago period.Median revenue grew 3.9% quarter over quarter, up from 0.6% growth in the prior quarter but down from 4.9% a year earlier. Net interest income and fee revenue growth accelerated sequentially, but slowed year on year, according to the note."While elevated macro uncertainty continues to linger, asset quality remains broadly favorable," Raymond James said.Earlier in the month, big banks JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Citigroup (C), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Morgan Stanley (MS) beat second-quarter expectations, driven by investment banking and trading gains."With most 2026 outlooks largely reiterated and core fundamental drivers intact, consensus estimates continue to possess an upward bias, with a net 38% of 2026 estimates raised and a net 19% of 2027 estimates raised," Raymond James' analysts wrote.S&P 500 companies' second-quarter earnings growth reached 70%, driven by the information technology sector, where profits nearly tripled year on year, Oppenheimer Asset Management said Monday. The financials industry has seen earnings rise by 31% and revenue grow 17% annually.

$BAC$C$GS$JPM$MS$WFC
Wire

Market Chatter: LMAX Working With Morgan Stanley, Stifel Unit to Explore Strategic Options

Crypto trading platform LMAX Group is working with Morgan Stanley (MS) and Stifel Financial (SF) unit KBW to explore its strategic options, CoinDesk reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.While a sale, special purpose acquisition company merger and US or European initial public offerings are all under consideration, a Nasdaq (NDAQ) listing is currently the preferred choice, according to the report.Morgan Stanley, KBW and LMAX did not immediately respond to' requests for comment.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)Price: $214.41, Change: $-0.77, Percent Change: -0.36%

$MS$SF
Sectors

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

Financial stocks were lower in late Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) each shedding about 0.5%.The Philadelphia Housing Index rose 0.6%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) decreased 0.4%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was declining 1.2% to $65,726, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 2.9 basis points to 4.657%.In sector news, Kalshi said Wednesday that it will launch a new election portal aimed at becoming a key reference point for US election odds ahead of the November midterm elections, according to multiple media reports.In corporate news, the EU is preparing to revisit airline ownership rules to tighten limits on foreign control of carriers, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing an EU official. The move may complicate US bids for easyJet, which is the target of competing takeover offers from New York-based Apollo Global Management (APO) and Minneapolis-based Castlelake, the report said. Apollo shares were up 0.4%.Morgan Stanley's (MS) wealth management unit has gained more than $70 billion in net new assets during Q2, largely fueled by the initial public offering of SpaceX (SPCX), Bloomberg reported. Morgan Stanley shares rose 1.1%.Coinbase (COIN) has settled its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the US Securities and Exchange Commission with the regulator agreeing to provide additional documents and pay $150,000, a court filing said Wednesday. Shares were off 5.3%.CME (CME) shares jumped 5% after it reported Q2 adjusted earnings Wednesday of $2.99 per diluted share, up from $2.96 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $2.91.

$APO$CME$COIN$MS
Sectors

Sector Update: Financial

Financial stocks were lower in late Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) each shedding about 0.5%.The Philadelphia Housing Index rose 0.6%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) decreased 0.4%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was declining 1.2% to $65,726, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 2.9 basis points to 4.657%.In corporate news, Morgan Stanley (MS) is working on a collateralized fund obligation for Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners in a transaction worth around $1 billion, Bloomberg reported. Morgan Stanley shares rose 0.8%.

$MS
Wire

Market Chatter: Morgan Stanley's Wealth Unit Secures Over $70 Billion in Q2 Following SpaceX Listing

Morgan Stanley's (MS) wealth management unit has gained more than $70 billion in net new assets during Q2, largely fueled by the initial public offering of SpaceX (SPCX), Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.Managing the gains from the SpaceX offering is projected to produce over $100 million in recurring annual revenue for the investment bank, according to the report.Morgan Stanley and SpaceX did not immediately respond to' requests for comment.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)Price: $218.43, Change: $+2.03, Percent Change: +0.94%

$MS$SPCX
Wire

Morgan Stanley Expected to Reward Shareholders with Share Repurchases, Increased Dividends, RBC Says

Morgan Stanley (MS) is expected to reward shareholders with share repurchases and increased dividends, given its strong excess capital position, RBC Capital Markets said in a note emailed Monday.The brokerage also added that the capital position could result in the company returning up to 100% of its earnings, after a strong Q2.RBC said Q2 results were driven on the back of growth engines including Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.Morgan Stanley reported net revenue of $21.35 billion, up 27% from a year earlier and EPS of $3.46, up 62% from a year earlier, which was also above RBC's estimate of $3.20.RBC maintained its sector perform rating and increased the price target to $243 from $207.Price: $211.26, Change: $-4.24, Percent Change: -1.97%

$MS
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Climb as Unexpected Decline in Inflation Helps Counter Sharp Deterioration in Iran Geopolitics

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose, as a boost from an unexpected drop in producer price inflation helped outweigh a worsening geopolitical environment, including potential complex military operations against Iran and an emerging threat to shut down the maritime gateway to the Red Sea.The Nasdaq rose 0.6% to 26,269.23, the S&P 500 climbed 0.4% to 7,572.40, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.3% to 52,658.64 on Wednesday. Communication services and consumer discretionary topped the gainers, while utilities led the decliners.The US Producer Price Index fell 0.3% in June after a 0.6% increase in May, below consensus for no change in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. Core PPI rose 0.2%, slower than the 0.3% gain expected and a 0.1% rise in May. PPI was up 5.5% year-over-year in June, versus the 6% gain in May, while core PPI climbed 4.7%, up from 4.6% in May.Fed policy is likely to remain unchanged given the divide between inflation optimists and pessimists, Stifel Chief Economist Lindsey Piegza said in a note. Following the PPI data, the CME FedWatch tool showed a 90% probability of the Fed holding rates steady in July, up from 84% on Tuesday, with the rate-pause likelihood also increasing for September, October, and December. Treasury yields retreated, with the 10-year yield falling four basis points to 4.55% and the two-year sliding 6.3 basis points to 4.13%.Geopolitically, the strikes on Iran aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz are also targeting capabilities that the US would like destroyed before executing complex operations in the country, Reuters reported, citing three US officials. The officials said the strikes effectively strengthen Trump's additional military options.In response, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to halt all energy exports from the Middle East over the blockade of its ports, the Associated Press reported. "The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one," the Guard was cited as saying. Iran is also signaling it could use Yemen's Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world's most important energy arteries at risk, a separate report from Reuters said.Despite these tensions, crude oil futures traded off session highs following US inventory data. Brent rose 0.4% to $85.05 a barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate climbed 0.5% to $79.71 a barrel.US commercial crude oil stocks fell by 1.7 million barrels in the week ended July 10, below the 1.8 million-barrel slide forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. Gasoline stocks fell by 1.5 million barrels during the same period in the US summer driving season, smaller than the 2.0-million-barrel slide expected. Distillate stocks, which power the supply chain comprising commercial trucking and freight trains, rose by 4.6 million barrels, compared with an expected drop of 2.0 million barrels.In company news, Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML (ASML) reported growth in Q2 earnings and sales and raised revenue guidance for the full-year 2026.Mega-cap banks continued to post strong results. Morgan Stanley's (MS) Q2 sales beat the outlook, with robust investment banking and trading driving the top line higher year over year. BlackRock (BLK) also reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue, and The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) reported Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue above market expectations.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ASML$BLK$BNY$MS
Wire

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Late Afternoon

Financial stocks were advancing in late Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.8% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) up 0.7%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was adding 0.3%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) fell 0.1%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) shed 0.4% to $64,721, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries declined 4 basis points to 4.545%.In economic news, the US Producer Price Index fell by 0.3% in June following a 0.6% increase in May, below expectations for a flat reading in a Bloomberg survey. Excluding food and energy prices, core PPI rose 0.2%, slower than the 0.3% gain expected and a 0.1% rise in May.In corporate news, BlackRock (BLK) shares jumped 6.3% after the company posted Q2 results that were better than analysts' expectations.Stripe and Advent International have offered to acquire PayPal (PYPL) for $60.50 per share in a deal that would value the company at more than $53 billion, Reuters reported. PayPal shares surged past 17%.Blackstone (BX), Anthropic and Hellman & Friedman said Wednesday they are launching AI services firm Ode with Anthropic. Blackstone shares climbed 1.9%.Morgan Stanley's (MS) Q2 revenue surpassed Wall Street's projections, with robust investment banking and trading gains driving the top-line higher year on year. Shares added 0.3%.Goldman Sachs (GS) has raised $10 billion from a high-grade bond sale, with the offering drawing orders of about $32 billion at its peak, Bloomberg reported. Goldman shares were up 0.9%.

$BLK$BX$GS$MS$PYPL
Wire

Argus Raises Price Target on Morgan Stanley to $255 From $225

Morgan Stanley (MS) has an average rating of overweight and mean price target of $221.77, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://finwires.com/en/contact)Price: $229.08, Change: $+1.41, Percent Change: +0.62%

$MS
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Edge Up After Producer Price Inflation Unexpectedly Drops, Iran Signals Red Sea Disruption

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic/rates data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes ground higher following a surprise decline in the wholesale price inflation rate and a signal from Iran that its allies could shut the maritime gateway to the Red Sea.The Nasdaq rose 0.4% to 26,221.4, the S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to 7,564.7, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.3% to 52,643.8 after midday Wednesday. All three gauges briefly traded moderately lower earlier in the session. Communication services and consumer discretionary topped the gainers, while energy led the decliners.The US Producer Price Index fell 0.3% in June following a 0.6% increase in May, below the flat consensus in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. Excluding food and energy, core PPI rose 0.2%, slower than the 0.3% gain expected and a 0.1% rise in May. PPI was up 5.5% year-over-year in June, versus the 6% gain in May, while core PPI climbed 4.7%, up from 4.6% in May.The probability of the Federal Reserve leaving its policy unchanged in July rose to 90% following the PPI data, from 84% a day ago and 69% a week ago, the CME FedWatch tool showed Wednesday. The likelihood of a pause continuing across September, October, and December also jumped. On Tuesday, market expectations for an unchanged monetary policy surged after the June consumer price inflation rate declined the most since April 2020.Most US Treasury yields fell after midday, with the 10-year down 4.4 basis points to 4.54% and the two-year declining 6.9 basis points to 4.12%.US Central Command struck Iran's coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island during the 90-minute wave on Wednesday, it said. "The strikes further degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz." The strikes followed attacks overnight.Iran is now signaling it could use Yemen's Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world's most important energy arteries at risk, Reuters reported. As US strikes deepen inside Iran and Houthi attacks escalate in tandem, analysts said Tehran is widening the conflict and seeking to increase pressure on Washington by extending the threat to global trade and energy supplies beyond the Gulf, the news report said.The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent shed 0.2% to $84.53 a barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate declined 0.4% to $79.05 a barrel, off session highs.Excluding inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, US commercial crude oil stocks fell by 1.7 million barrels in the week ended July 10, following the Labor Day weekend, versus a 1.8 million-barrel decline expected in a Bloomberg-compiled poll and a 3.0-million-barrel gain in the previous week. Gasoline stocks fell by 1.5 million barrels, smaller than the 2.0-million-barrel decrease expected. Further, distillate stocks rose by 4.6 million barrels, compared with an expected drop of 2.0 million barrels.In precious metal markets, gold futures retreated 0.2% to $4,060.90, and silver futures slumped 2.2% to $57.78.In company news, Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML (ASML) reported year-over-year growth in Q2 earnings and sales and raised revenue guidance for the full-year 2026.Mega-cap banks continued to post strong results. Morgan Stanley's (MS) Q2 sales beat the outlook, with robust investment banking and trading driving the top line higher year over year. BlackRock (BLK) also reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue. The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) reported its Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue above market expectations.Payments firm Stripe and Advent International have offered to acquire PayPal (PYPL) for $60.50 per share in a deal valuing the company at more than $53 billion, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ASML$BLK$BNY$MS$PYPL
Sectors

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Wednesday Trading

Financial stocks were advancing in Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.7% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) ahead 0.9%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was up 0.3%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.3%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was 0.6% higher at $65,064, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was decreasing 3.6 basis points to 4.55%.In economic news, the US Producer Price Index fell by 0.3% in June following a 0.6% increase in May, below expectations for a flat reading in a Bloomberg survey. Excluding food and energy prices, core PPI rose 0.2%, slower than the 0.3% gain expected and a 0.1% rise in May.In corporate news, Stripe and Advent International have offered to acquire PayPal (PYPL) for $60.50 per share in a deal that would value the company at more than $53 billion, Reuters reported. PayPal shares jumped more than 16%.Blackstone (BX), Anthropic and Hellman & Friedman said Wednesday they are launching AI services firm Ode with Anthropic. Blackstone shares climbed 2.9%.Morgan Stanley's (MS) Q2 revenue surpassed Wall Street's projections, with robust investment banking and trading gains driving the top-line higher year on year. Shares added 0.4%.

$BX$MS$PYPL
Wire

Goldman Sachs Adjusts Price Target on Morgan Stanley to $241 From $233

Morgan Stanley (MS) has an average rating of overweight and mean price target of $221.77, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://finwires.com/en/contact)Price: $225.50, Change: $-2.17, Percent Change: -0.95%

$MS
Wire

Top Midday Stories: PayPal Reportedly Gets Acquisition Offer From Stripe, Advent; ASML Misses Q2 EPS, Sales Estimates, Lifts Outlook

All three major US stock indexes were up in late-morning trading Wednesday, as technology stocks led the way up and additional inflation data showed further cooling.The US Producer Price Index fell by 0.3% in June, below expectations of a flat reading in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:25 a.m. ET and after a 0.6% increase in May. Core PPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by 0.2%, below the 0.3% gain expected and following a 0.1% gain in May.In company news, Stripe and Advent International have offered to acquire PayPal (PYPL) for $60.50 per share in a deal that would value the company at over $53 billion, Reuters reported late Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Under the proposal, Stripe and Advent would each own a 50% stake in PayPal. The two payments firms have not received a response from PayPal but are seeking to advance talks in the coming weeks, the report said. PayPal shares were up 16.5% around midday.ASML (ASML) reported Q2 earnings Wednesday of 7.58 euros ($8.66) per diluted share, up from 5.90 euros a year earlier but below the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of 8.59 euros. Second-quarter net sales were 9.33 billion euros, up from 7.69 billion euros a year ago but below the FactSet consensus of 10.44 billion euros. For Q3, the company said it expects sales of 11 billion euros to 12 billion euros, compared with the FactSet consensus of 11.70 billion euros. For full-year 2026, ASML expects sales of 43 billion euros to 45 billion euros, up from its previous guidance of 36 billion euros to 40 billion euros and above the FactSet consensus of 39.90 billion euros. ASML shares were down 0.7%.Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings Wednesday of $2.90 per diluted share, up from $2.77 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $2.85. Fiscal Q2 reported sales were $25.31 billion, up from $23.74 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $25.02 billion. For fiscal 2026, the company said it expects adjusted EPS of $11.60 to $11.75, up from its previous guidance of $11.45 to $11.65 and above the FactSet consensus of $11.59. Johnson & Johnson also lifted its full-year sales guidance to a range of $100.8 billion to $101.4 billion from $100.3 billion to $101.3 billion. Analysts expect $101.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson shares were down 1%.Morgan Stanley (MS) reported Q2 earnings Wednesday of $3.46 per diluted share, up from $2.13 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $2.89. Second-quarter net revenue was $21.35 billion, up from $16.79 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley shares were down 0.7%.BlackRock (BLK) reported Q2 adjusted earnings Wednesday of $13.91 per share, up from $12.05 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $12.69. Second-quarter revenue was $7.08 billion, up from $5.42 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $6.73 billion. BlackRock shares were up 7.6%.Elevance Health (ELV) reported Q2 adjusted earnings Wednesday of $7.45 per diluted share, down from $8.84 a year earlier but above the FactSet consensus of $6.21. Second-quarter operating revenue was $49.83 billion, up from $49.42 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $48.84 billion. The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to at least $27 from $26.75, above the FactSet consensus of $26.87. Elevance shares were down 8.9%.Price: $1769.64, Change: $-6.00, Percent Change: -0.34%

$ASML$BLK$ELV$JNJ$MS$PYPL
Update: Morgan Stanley Tops Second-Quarter Revenue Views on Investment Banking, Trading Gains
US Markets

Update: Morgan Stanley Tops Second-Quarter Revenue Views on Investment Banking, Trading Gains

(Updates to specify revenue beat in the headline.)Morgan Stanley's (MS) second-quarter revenue surpassed Wall Street's projections, with robust investment banking and trading gains driving the top-line higher year on year.Revenue surged 27% annually to $21.35 billion, while the FactSet-polled consensus was for $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley reported earnings per share of $3.46 for the June quarter, compared with $2.13 a year earlier.Revenue in the institutional securities division, which accounted for more than half of the overall top line, rose to $11.04 billion from $7.64 billion in the prior-year period. Within that segment, investment banking revenue jumped 58% to $2.44 billion amid sharp gains in advisory and equity and fixed-income underwriting.Morgan Stanley was a book-running manager for the record initial public offering of Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX) in June.Equities trading revenue soared 69% to a record $6.3 billion."Excellent results in institutional securities were driven by our leading equities franchise with continued momentum in investment banking and fixed income," Chief Executive Ted Pick said in a statement.On Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C) all posted strong second-quarter results amid gains in markets revenue and investment banking fees. BofA Securities had expected major US banks to top second-quarter earnings expectations on the back of capital markets activity.Morgan Stanley's wealth management revenue climbed 14% to $8.86 billion."Wealth management added a record $148 billion in net new assets, with total client assets across wealth and investment management reaching the $10 trillion milestone," Pick said in a statement.Shares of Morgan Stanley rose 1.2% in Wednesday trade. The stock has rallied 30% since the start of the year.Morgan Stanley declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, up $0.15 from the previous quarter, payable on Aug. 14.Price: $229.77, Change: $+2.10, Percent Change: +0.92%

$BAC$C$GS$JPM$MS$SPCX$WFC
Wire

Wells Fargo Adjusts Price Target on Morgan Stanley to $240 From $225, Maintains Equalweight Rating

Morgan Stanley (MS) has an average rating of overweight and mean price target of $221.77, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://finwires.com/en/contact)Price: $229.99, Change: $+2.32, Percent Change: +1.02%

$MS
Morgan Stanley Tops Second-Quarter Views on Investment Banking, Trading Gains
US Markets

Morgan Stanley Tops Second-Quarter Views on Investment Banking, Trading Gains

Morgan Stanley's (MS) second-quarter revenue surpassed Wall Street's projections, with robust investment banking and trading gains driving the top-line higher year on year.Revenue surged 27% annually to $21.35 billion, while the FactSet-polled consensus was for $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley reported earnings per share of $3.46 for the June quarter, compared with $2.13 a year earlier.Revenue in the institutional securities division, which accounted for more than half of the overall top line, rose to $11.04 billion from $7.64 billion in the prior-year period. Within that segment, investment banking revenue jumped 58% to $2.44 billion amid sharp gains in advisory and equity and fixed-income underwriting.Morgan Stanley was a book-running manager for the record initial public offering of Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX) in June.Equities trading revenue soared 69% to a record $6.3 billion."Excellent results in institutional securities were driven by our leading equities franchise with continued momentum in investment banking and fixed income," Chief Executive Ted Pick said in a statement.On Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C) all posted strong second-quarter results amid gains in markets revenue and investment banking fees. BofA Securities had expected major US banks to top second-quarter earnings expectations on the back of capital markets activity.Morgan Stanley's wealth management revenue climbed 14% to $8.86 billion."Wealth management added a record $148 billion in net new assets, with total client assets across wealth and investment management reaching the $10 trillion milestone," Pick said in a statement.Shares of Morgan Stanley rose 1.2% in Wednesday trade. The stock has rallied 30% since the start of the year.Morgan Stanley declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share, up $0.15 from the previous quarter, payable on Aug. 14.Price: $229.98, Change: $+2.31, Percent Change: +1.01%

$BAC$C$GS$JPM$MS$SPCX$WFC
Sectors

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Advance Pre-Bell Wednesday

Financial stocks were advancing pre-bell Wednesday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) 0.5% higher.The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 1.3% and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 1.2% lower.Payments firm Stripe and Advent International have offered to acquire PayPal (PYPL) for $60.50 per share in a deal that would value the company at more than $53 billion, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed people familiar with the matter. Shares of PayPal were up more than 18% premarket.Morgan Stanley (MS) shares were down more than 1% even after the company posted higher Q2 earnings and net revenue.BlackRock (BLK) stock was up more than 5% after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

$BLK$FAS$FAZ$MS$PYPL$XLF
Update: Nasdaq Snaps 3-Day Winning Streak as Oil Jumps Amid US-Iran Tensions
US Markets

Update: Nasdaq Snaps 3-Day Winning Streak as Oil Jumps Amid US-Iran Tensions

(Updates with market moves at the end of the day.)Equities on Wall Street fell Monday, snapping a three-day winning streak for the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite, as oil prices rallied amid a re-escalation in the US-Iran conflict.The Nasdaq shed 1.6% to close at 25,873.2, while the S&P 500 lost 0.8% to 7,515.8. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.3% to 52,498.6. Among sectors, tech saw the steepest decline, down 2.1%, while energy led the gainers with a 3.2% advance.West Texas Intermediate crude was up 8.8% at $77.72 a barrel in Monday late-afternoon trade, while Brent gained 9.2% to $82.97.The US and Iran continued to exchange airstrikes over the weekend, with Tehran targeting American military facilities across Middle Eastern countries, news outlets reported. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly said it closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz until further notice, though the US military disputed the claim.The strait is open and will remain so "with or without Iran," President Donald Trump said in a social media post Monday, adding that the US was reinstating a blockade of Iranian shipping through the narrow waterway.Hostilities between the US and Iran resumed recently, weeks after they signed a memorandum of understanding to end their war that began at the end of February. The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important chokepoint for crude flows."Clearly, the risk is that this escalates to levels seen early in the war, where neighboring countries and their energy infrastructure are also targeted," ING Bank said in a report. "Escalation has slowed vessels transiting the strait to a trickle, renewing concerns over oil supply tightness through the third quarter."The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Monday reduced its global oil demand growth outlook for this year while upgrading its projection for 2027.US Treasury yields were higher, with the two-year rate up 6.1 basis points at 4.27% and the 10-year rate rising 4.5 basis points to 4.61%.Official data on Tuesday are expected to show that the consumer price index dropped 0.1% in June on a sequential basis and rose 3.8% annually, according to a Bloomberg-compiled consensus. Wall Street is projecting core CPI, which excludes volatile items such as food and energy, to rise 0.2% month over month and 2.9% annually.The Federal Reserve may have to consider raising interest rates if inflation remains high, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Monday."If we get another hot reading on core inflation this week, then the (Federal Open Market Committee) will need to consider tightening monetary policy in the near term," Waller said in a speech in New York. "We are at a crossroads for policy, and the appropriate action will depend on incoming data."There's a 59% likelihood that the Fed will keep its monetary policy unchanged later this month, down from 74% a week ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The odds of a 25-basis-point rate increase moved to 41% on Monday from about 26% a week earlier.The S&P 500 is heading into the second-quarter reporting cycle with consensus earnings growth projections at their highest in recent quarters, Oppenheimer Asset Management said Monday in a report.US banking giants JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), Morgan Stanley (MS), and Citigroup (C) are expected to report their quarterly results later this week. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), UnitedHealth (UNH) and Netflix (NFLX), among others, also report this week.First Hawaiian (FHB) agreed to acquire TriCo Bancshares (TCBK) in an all-stock deal to create one of the largest banks headquartered in the western US, with combined assets of about $34 billion. First Hawaiian shares fell 3.3%, while TriCo jumped 12%.Gold fell 2.6% to $4,005.10 per troy ounce, while silver lost 3.9% to $57.83 per ounce.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$BAC$C$FHB$GS$JNJ$JPM$MS$NFLX$TCBK$UNH$WFC
Bank Stocks 'An Island of Stability' as Financial Institutions Set to Release Earnings
US Markets

Bank Stocks 'An Island of Stability' as Financial Institutions Set to Release Earnings

Wall Street banks and smaller competitors remain attractive investment opportunities as financial institutions are set to report earnings this week, according to analysts at BofA Securities and KBW."Our conversations indicate a long bias toward bank stocks that have emerged as an island of stability in a financials sector where stocks have been rocked by fears due to (artificial intelligence) disruption risks, and the adoption of digital assets," Ebrahim Poonawala, head of North American banks research at BofA, said in a note to clients.Long-only investors and portfolio managers are looking for proof that earnings momentum will continue into 2027, he said. That would make the group a "reliable play" as investors move away from chip stocks, Poonawala said.Bank stocks so far this year have performed better than the broader market. The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index is up about 14% so far this year, compared with a 10% gain in the S&P 500 Index."While this has pushed relative multiples higher, relative valuations remain well-below long-term averages," KBW banking analyst Christopher McGratty said in a July 8 note to clients.Banking giants JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Citigroup (C) are expected to release quarterly results before markets open in the US on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley (MS) reports Wednesday, followed by US Bancorp (USB) on Thursday.BofA's Poonawala said a key question for bank profitability is how firms are performing on net interest income -- the difference between the money a bank generates from interest-bearing assets such as loans and securities and the interest it pays out to depositors and lenders."Investors appear increasingly willing to tolerate modest margin pressure if banks can deliver improving NII," he said. "The key debate is whether management teams can offset deposit competition with asset repricing, loan growth, fee growth and operating leverage."Poonawala's favorite names in the banking sector are Citi, Morgan Stanley, State Street (STT), PNC Financial Services (PNC), Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) and US Bancorp. He categorized M&T Bank (MTB), Regions Financial (RF) and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) as "crowded relative shorts," according to the note.Investors are looking for JPMorgan, the largest US bank by assets, to guide on net interest income and trends in capital markets, he said.If JPMorgan raises its NII guidance excluding markets and says there's no incremental increase in its expense outlook, it "could trigger sustained stock outperformance," Poonawala said.KBW said it is sticking with its view that so-called universal banks -- Wells Fargo, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs -- will continue to benefit from "multi-year structural tailwinds for capital markets and capital return."Stocks that KBW recommends investors hold overweight positions in include Morgan Stanley, PNC, Popular (BPOP), Flagstar Bank (FLG) and Hancock Whitney (HWC).KBW no longer expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates this year and believes the year will end with a Fed funds rate of 3.75%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond is expected to be 4.4% through the end of 2027, up from a previous estimate of 4.2%, KBW said. Gross-domestic product growth should come in at 2.1% this year and 2% next year, with unemployment between 4.3% and 4.5%, KBW predicted."A higher-for-longer interest rate outlook is firmly entrenched in market expectations," McGratty said in his research note.Another buoyant factor for banks was IPO volumes and mergers and acquisitions, he said."Investment banking results for (the second quarter) are expected to be strong with pockets of M&A advisory fees expected to aid top-line results, though equity underwriting is expected to be the story of (the quarter), with the bulge brackets set to benefit the most following elevated issuance from mega-deals pricing during the quarter," McGratty said.Deals in the quarter included SpaceX's (SPCX) record IPO in June.Matthew Leising

$BAC$BPOP$C$FITB$GS$HBAN$HWC$JPM$MS$MTB$PNC$RF$SPCX$STT$USB$WFC

Showing 1-20 of 111

Track with the FINWIRES app suite

FolioX
FolioX
Track Morgan Stanley in your portfolio
WheelAI
WheelAI
Analyze Morgan Stanley options with the wheel strategy
StockInsider
StockInsider
See market sentiment on Morgan Stanley