Morgan Stanley’s third-quarter profit beat market expectations as investment bankers brought in more fees from advising on deals and by underwriting stock and debt sales, lifting revenue to a record.
Shares of the bank rose 3.6 per cent in premarket trading on Wednesday. They have gained 23.6 per cent this year as of the last closing price.
A string of large deals pushed global mergers and acquisitions activity past the US$3 trillion mark this year. A resilient U.S. economy, optimism around interest-rate cuts and lighter regulations under the Trump administration have spurred businesses to do deals or tap capital markets.
“Our integrated firm delivered an outstanding quarter with strong performance in each of our businesses globally,” CEO Ted Pick said in a statement.
With markets hovering near record highs and the U.S. Federal Reserve resuming its rate-cutting cycle in September, bankers are optimistic that the momentum will continue through fourth quarter and into 2026.
The bank’s profit surged to $4.6 billion, or $2.80 per share, for the three months ended Sept. 30, beating expectations of $2.10 per share, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.
Total quarterly revenue was a record $18.2 billion, surpassing expectations of $16.7 billion.
Dealmaking boost
Morgan Stanley’s investment banking revenue jumped 44 per cent to $2.11 billion from a year ago. Advisory revenue surged 25 per cent to $684 million, driven by higher completed M&A transactions.
The bank landed key roles in major deals, including advising freight rail giant Union Pacific on its $85 billion acquisition of smaller rival Norfolk Southern – the largest transaction announced globally this year.
Wall Street rivals, including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, also benefited from a surge in M&A and initial public offerings (IPOs).
Investment banking fees rose 16 per cent at JPMorgan Chase, 42 per cent at Goldman Sachs and 43 per cent at Bank of America.
Equity capital markets also roared back during the quarter, led by a wave of high-profile IPOs. Record-breaking stock market levels also emboldened companies to pursue follow-on equity offerings and convertible bond deals.
Morgan Stanley’s equity underwriting revenue jumped 80 per cent to $652 million from a year earlier, thanks to higher IPOs and convertible offerings.
The bank was among the joint bookrunners on large IPOs during the quarter, including design software maker Figma and Swedish fintech Klarna.
Fixed income underwriting revenue surged 39 per cent to US$772 million in the quarter, driven by higher loan issuances.
Trading boost
Trading too was a bright spot as stocks reached new highs, buoyed by strong corporate earnings and optimism around potential rate cuts.
The benchmark S&P 500 index gained roughly eight per cent in the third quarter and hit multiple record closing highs in September, historically a weak month for stock markets.
Equities revenue surged 35 per cent to $4.12 billion, driven by record results in prime brokerage. Fixed income revenue rose eight per cent.
Wealth margins
Revenue from wealth management – a key focus for Morgan Stanley – jumped 13 per cent to record $8.2 billion in the quarter, buoyed by rising market valuations.
The unit’s pre-tax margin was 30.3 per cent in the quarter, hitting the bank’s long-term goal.
Wealth management provides Morgan Stanley with stable revenues, that provide a cushion against the volatility of trading and investment banking.
The business added net new assets of $81 billion in the quarter, while fee-based asset flows were $42 billion.
Total client assets across wealth and investment management reached $8.9 trillion in the quarter, getting closer to the bank’s target of managing $10 trillion in client assets.
Morgan Stanley also secured a key win last month as the Federal Reserve agreed to shrink how much capital the bank must hold as a result of its most recent “stress test” results.
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru and Tatiana Bautzer in New York; Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Arun Koyyur)
