Investing.com -- Morgan Stanley reported third-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst estimates, driving its stock up over 7% on Wednesday. The financial services giant posted strong results across its business segments, demonstrating the strength of its integrated model.
Morgan Stanley reported earnings per share of $1.88 for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, beating the analyst consensus of $1.59 by $0.29. Revenue came in at $15.4 billion, surpassing expectations of $14.32 billion and up 15.8% from $13.3 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company's Institutional Securities division saw net revenues rise 20.2% YoY to $6.8 billion, driven by strong performance in Equity and Fixed Income trading as well as increased momentum in Investment Banking. Investment Banking revenues surged 56% from a year ago, with significant gains in equity and fixed income underwriting.
Wealth Management delivered record net revenues of $7.3 billion, up 13.5% YoY, reflecting strong asset management and transactional revenues. The division added $64 billion in net new assets, bringing total client assets to $6 trillion.
"The Firm reported a strong third quarter in a constructive environment across our global footprint," said Ted Pick, Chief Executive Officer. "Our business model is delivering strong returns while accreting capital, producing an ROTCE of 18.2% through the first three quarters of 2024."
Morgan Stanley ended the quarter with a Standardized Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 15.1%, accreting $2.1 billion of Common Equity Tier 1 capital during the period. The company repurchased $0.8 billion of its outstanding common stock and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.925 per share.
Reacting to the earnings release, Jefferies analysts said in a note that on first take, the results were better across the board. The firm maintained a Buy rating and $120 price target on Morgan Stanley's shares.
"Revenue strength in ISG (+$739M vs Cons) was the largest driver of the beat, as all segments (led by Equity S&T) came in above expectations," said the firm. "Wealth Management [WM] NII was down -$24M q/q, in line with guidance, while WM asset mgmt revs grew +7% q/q. WM total inflows of +$64B represented a +4.5% annualized growth rate (fee based +6.5%). The comp ratio (ex prov) of 44% was lower than Cons of 44.8%."