New York, January 15, 2026, 13:12 ET — Regular session.
- Morgan Stanley shares climbed 5.9% in afternoon trading following their quarterly earnings report
- Bank posted earnings per share of $2.68 and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00
- Investors focus sharply on the rebound in investment banking and the deal pipeline slated for 2026
Morgan Stanley shares climbed 5.9% to $191.39 in Thursday afternoon trading, swinging between $178.70 and $191.94 as investors digested the bank’s quarterly results. 1
The report arrives just as bank earnings season morphs into a fast-paced test of whether dealmaking is truly rebounding or merely surged late last year. For Morgan Stanley, this question carries extra weight since its profits closely track underwriting and advisory fees during market upswings.
Investors remain divided on interest rates. While lower rates could boost issuance and spark deal activity, they also alter how clients handle cash and can quickly shift trading volumes.
Morgan Stanley reported fourth-quarter net revenue of $17.9 billion and earnings of $2.68 per share. Its return on tangible common equity, which excludes goodwill and other intangibles, came in at 21.8%. The bank also repurchased $1.5 billion of common stock during the quarter and announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend, payable February 13 to shareholders of record on January 30. 2
The stock surged after a profit beat driven largely by investment banking, where revenue climbed 47% to $2.41 billion, boosted by nearly double the debt underwriting, Reuters reports. CFO Sharon Yeshaya told Reuters, “We are seeing an accelerating pipeline in M&A and IPOs.” CEO Ted Pick added the bank plans to “continue to be patient” on acquisitions, despite what he called excess capital. 3
Morgan Stanley’s report arrived as Goldman Sachs posted robust results, highlighting a boost in mergers and underwriting expected to drive growth into late 2025. The key question for the sector is whether fee growth can sustain itself after the busy start-of-year pipeline of deals and listings plays out in actual markets. 4
Investors will be parsing which elements of the quarter can be relied upon and which were just timing — like deal closings, underwriting windows, and a market that can shift on a single bad week. The wealth business aims to steady things, but it doesn’t completely shield the stock when risk appetite wanes.
Still, the setup is vulnerable. Should equity markets falter or volatility surge, IPOs could stall, bond issuance might freeze, and advisory fees could vanish fast — hitting the very businesses that fueled the recent upside surprise.
Coming next is the big macro event: the Federal Reserve’s January 27-28 meeting. It has the power to shift rate-cut expectations and influence client activity as well as trading environments for banks heading into the next quarter. 5
