Morgan StanleyMSTOP PICKAug 17, 2017Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Oct 23, 2026. Market Open.
After reporting, shares fell 1.8% and down 2.8% today. They just reported: revenues beat, investment and trading were up 18%, also beating, equities were strong, though fixed income missed. Wealth management grew 10% and beat, and investment beat though fell 12%. Problem is, investors are worried about inflation.
Mergers are increasing, and banks like MS makes advisory fees from them. Also, the banks have been rallying since oil slumped, and will benefit further from rising interest rates, which appears will happen later this year. Plus, hyperscalers may need to keep borrowing money to keep competing with each other.
This has sort of reinvented itself over the last couple of decades. It was primarily an institutional house, a fixed income house. Today, 44% of its business is on wealth management platform. Coming off the financial crisis, they bought Smith Barney from City. Putting those together and growing them, they are now a real force in the US in terms of wealth management. Expects earnings to grow 21% this year and 15% next year. Trading at about 1.2X Book, but well worth it. Dividend yield of 2.1%. (Analysts’ price target is $49.50.)