Morgan Stanley Surpasses $8 Trillion AUM with 22.4% Dividend Growth
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 07 2026
0mins
Should l Buy MS?
Source: Benzinga
- Asset Management Breakthrough: Morgan Stanley has surpassed $8 trillion in assets under management, indicating strong growth potential in wealth management, which is expected to enhance the company's market position by 2026.
- Significant Dividend Growth: The company offers a dividend yield of 2.14%, and despite being relatively low, its 41% payout ratio and 22.4% five-year annualized growth rate demonstrate strong financial stability and attractiveness to investors.
- Optimistic Earnings Outlook: Morgan Stanley is set to report earnings on January 15, with analysts expecting Q4 revenue to exceed $17.4 billion, further solidifying investor confidence in the stock.
- Positive Technical Signals: The stock's 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages are trending upwards, and the MACD indicator shows strong buying signals, indicating a significant price increase over the past two sessions and suggesting future growth potential.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy MS?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on MS
Wall Street analysts forecast MS stock price to rise
14 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 171.540
Low
132.00
Averages
185.00
High
219.00
Current: 171.540
Low
132.00
Averages
185.00
High
219.00
About MS
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company. The Company is engaged in providing a range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. Its segments include Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management. Its Institutional Securities segment provides a variety of products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions and ultra-high net worth clients. Its Wealth Management segment provides an array of financial services and solutions to individual investors and small to medium-sized businesses and institutions. Its Investment Management segment provides a range of investment strategies and products that span geographies, asset classes, and public and private markets to a diverse group of clients across institutional and intermediary channels. Its investment banking services consist of capital raising and financial advisory services, including the underwriting of debt and other products.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Drug Development Lag: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary highlighted that the U.S. is falling behind China in early-stage drug development, particularly in phase one clinical trials conducted in 2024, indicating a significant competitive disadvantage that necessitates reforms to accelerate trial processes for new treatments.
- Process Bottlenecks: Makary pointed out three major bottlenecks, including hospital contracting, ethical reviews, and approval processes, which he described as 'clunky processes' that hinder the efficiency of drug trials in the U.S., impacting its competitiveness against faster-moving countries.
- Collaboration Opportunities: The FDA is exploring partnerships with health systems and academic medical centers to streamline the pre-IND process, allowing for consultations before formal application submissions, thereby enhancing the efficiency and success rates of drug development.
- China's Rise: Data shows that China now conducts more clinical trials than the U.S. and is projected to account for 35% of FDA new drug approvals by 2040, putting pressure on U.S. policymakers to take action to boost domestic innovation.
See More
- Walmart Earnings Release: Walmart is set to report its quarterly earnings live from Nasdaq in Times Square, which is expected to have a direct impact on its stock price, especially as it has already fallen 6% from its 52-week high.
- Market Performance Analysis: The S&P 500 has risen 1.8% this week, although it remains the worst performer year-to-date, down nearly 4.3%, indicating market volatility and investor caution.
- Global Payments Strong Rebound: Global Payments shares surged 16% on Wednesday, driven by better-than-expected earnings and guidance, reflecting market confidence in its future growth prospects.
- Real Estate Market Dynamics: Cushman & Wakefield is set to report quarterly results, with its stock down 8% over the past three months, highlighting challenges in the commercial real estate market, and investors should pay attention to the upcoming pending home sales data.
See More
- Hedge Fund Holdings Increase: According to CNBC's analysis, major hedge funds bought a net 40.9 million shares of Amazon in Q4, making it the most owned stock among the Magnificent Seven, now representing 2.5% of total shares outstanding.
- Investor Position Changes: Klarman at Baupost Group took a new position worth $490 million, making Amazon its second-largest holding, while Ackman raised his stake by 65% to $2.2 billion, positioning it as his third-largest holding.
- Market Reaction Poor: Despite the increased investments from hedge funds, Amazon's stock has fallen over 20% from its November high and dropped 5.6% following its latest earnings report, indicating market concerns.
- Analysts Remain Bullish: Despite high valuations and capital expenditure pressures, 92% of analysts maintain a buy rating on Amazon, with Morgan Stanley projecting continued strong growth in its cloud business and setting a price target of $300, implying a 50% upside.
See More
- Importance of Regulatory Framework: Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon emphasized the critical need for a rules-based system for cryptocurrency and related financial instruments during his remarks at Davos, asserting that such a framework is essential for ensuring the safety and stability of U.S. markets and promoting long-term market health.
- Legislative Stalemate: Solomon's comments come as a Senate committee advances a cryptocurrency market bill aimed at establishing a national regulatory structure, yet the bill has stalled over disputes regarding whether digital asset companies can offer customer rewards, highlighting the complexities and challenges in the legislative process.
- Goldman's Market Positioning: While Solomon expressed a
See More
- Significant Asset Growth: Parametric's Radius platform achieved over 19% asset and account growth in its first year, indicating strong market performance and effective fulfillment of client demand, thereby reinforcing the company's leadership in multi-asset solutions.
- Technology-Driven Innovation: The Radius platform integrates multi-asset capabilities to streamline client account management processes, enhancing client experience while achieving efficient tax management, addressing investors' urgent need for personalized solutions.
- Cloud-Native Architecture Benefits: The platform's cloud-native architecture supports efficient interaction of large data volumes, significantly increasing trading capacity and driving higher trading volumes, thus achieving tax efficiency through systematic loss harvesting and enhancing client investment returns.
- Ongoing Optimization Plans: Parametric plans to continue enhancing the Radius platform's functionalities, improving client interaction quality, reducing account activation times, and streamlining portfolio activities to adapt to evolving market demands and client preferences.
See More
Market Reaction: Financial advisor Douglas Boneparth noted a significant selloff in wealth management stocks due to concerns over tax planning updates related to Altruist's AI tool.
AI Transformation: Boneparth highlighted that the wealth management industry is undergoing a transformation as AI technology, particularly through Altruist’s Hazel platform, begins to take hold.
See More











