How much a stock's price changes over time is important for most investors, since price performance can both impact your investment portfolio and help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Morgan Stanley (MS) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to MS for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Morgan Stanley's Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Morgan Stanley's main business drivers.
Founded in 1935 and incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1981, Morgan Stanley is the leading financial services holding company headquartered in New York. With 82,944 employees as of June 30, 2026, the company serves a diversified group of clients and customers, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals, through offices across 41 countries.
The company’s business is divided into three segments:
The Institutional Securities ("IS") segment (contributing 46.5% of total net revenues in 2025) includes capital raising; financial advisory services that include advices on mergers and acquisitions (M&As), restructurings, real estate and project finance; corporate lending; sales, trading, financing and market-making activities in equity and fixed income securities and related products, including foreign exchange and commodities; benchmark indices and risk management analytics; and investment activities.
The Wealth Management ("WM") segment (44.4%) provides brokerage and investment advisory services covering various investment alternatives; financial and wealth planning services; annuity and other insurance products; credit and other lending products; cash management services; retirement services; and trust and fiduciary services and engages in fixed income principal trading.
The Investment Management ("IM") segment (9%) provides global asset management products and services in equity, fixed income, alternative investments that include hedge funds and funds of funds, and merchant banking, including real estate, private equity and infrastructure, to institutional and retail clients through proprietary and third-party distribution channels. The segment also engages in investment.
In 2019, Morgan Stanley acquired Canada-based Solium Capital Inc. and renamed it as Shareworks by Morgan Stanley. In 2020, the company acquired E*Trade Financial. In 2021, it acquired Eaton Vance. In January 2026, the company acquired EquityZen, a private shares marketplace.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Morgan Stanley, ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in August 2016 would be worth $6,870.35, or a gain of 587.03%, as of August 27, 2026, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 253.88% and gold's return of 234.25% over the same time frame.
Analysts are forecasting more upside for MS too.
Shares of Morgan Stanley have outperformed the industry in the past year, suggesting meaningful execution progress. Its earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters. It benefits from a durable wealth and asset management franchise that supports steadier fee income and deep client relationships, with strategic alliances adding to long-term growth. The investment banking (IB) business will benefit from a healthier deal environment, supported by a robust and diversified pipeline. However, expense pressure from growth initiatives, technology spend and platform investments may limit operating leverage. Trading has been supportive, but the business is volatile and hard to grow from current levels. A premium valuation limits its upside potential. Nevertheless, a strong capital position allows continued shareholder returns.
The stock has jumped 5.39% over the past four weeks. Additionally, no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 8 higher, for fiscal 2026; the consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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Morgan Stanley (MS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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