With a market cap of $205.4 billion, Morgan Stanley (MS) is a leading global financial services holding company serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals across the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through three core business units: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. 

Companies valued at $200 billion or more are generally considered “mega-cap” stocks, and Morgan Stanley fits this criterion perfectly. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services including capital raising, M&A advisory, equity and fixed income trading, investment advisory, wealth and financial planning, lending, and global asset management across traditional and alternative investments.

However, shares of the New York-based company have declined 9.9% from its 52-week high of $142.03. Over the past three months, its shares have decreased 3.8%, slightly steeper than the broader Dow Jones Industrials Average's ($DOWI) 3.6% drop during the same period.

Longer term, MS stock is up 1.8% on a YTD basis, slightly exceeding DOWI's marginal dip. In addition, shares of the financial services giant have returned 29.8% over the past 52 weeks, surpassing DOWI’s 8.8% rise over the same time frame.

Since May, the stock has risen above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Shares of Morgan Stanley rose 1.4% on Apr. 11 after the company reported strong Q1 2025 results, with EPS of $2.60 and revenue of $17.7 billion, exceeding forecasts. The Institutional Securities unit delivered record net revenue of $9 billion, while Wealth and Investment Management segments saw solid growth of 6% and 16%, respectively. Investors responded positively to the broad-based strength across business segments and a robust 23% ROTCE, despite concerns over rising expenses and a lack of forward guidance.

Nevertheless, MS has underperformed its rival, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS), which has recorded a 4.9% YTD rise and a 30.6% increase over the past 52 weeks.

Despite Morgan Stanley’s outperformance relative to the Dow Jones over the past year, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about its prospects. The stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 24 analysts in coverage, and as of writing, MS is trading below the mean price target of $129.21.