The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.
How to buy shares in Morgan Stanley
- Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company listed in the US from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. Look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
- Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, which will typically include your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
- Search for Morgan Stanley. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: MS. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment that matches your financial goals.
- Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Morgan Stanley reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying using consistent intervals and amounts.
- Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of US$159.45, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of Morgan Stanley, depending on your broker.
- Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Morgan Stanley. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights.
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Have Morgan Stanley's shares ever split?
Morgan Stanley's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 26 January 2000. So if you had owned 1 share the day before the split, the next day you would own 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Morgan Stanley shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Morgan Stanley shares which in turn could have impacted Morgan Stanley's share price.
Morgan Stanley shares at a glance
Information last updated 2025-11-16.
| 52-week range | US$92.3711 - US$171.77 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | US$159.8308 |
| 200-day moving average | US$137.9968 |
| Target price | US$168.15 |
| PE ratio | 16.8062 |
| Dividend yield | US$3.85 (2.32%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | US$9.75 |
Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.
Morgan Stanley price performance over time
Historical closes compared with the last close of $159.45
| 1 week (2025-11-12) | -6.16% |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2025-10-17) | 0.49% |
| 3 months (2025-08-19) | 10.68% |
| 6 months (2025-05-19) | 21.87% |
| 1 year (2024-11-19) | 20.58% |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2023-11-17) | 98.62% |
| 3 years (2022-11-18) | 78.76% |
| 5 years (2020-11-19) | 171.96% |
Is it a good time to buy Morgan Stanley stock?
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. However, this is not a recommendation. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Morgan Stanley share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Morgan Stanley's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$92.3711 up to US$171.77. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta measures a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Morgan Stanley's is 1.217. This would suggest that Morgan Stanley's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).
Morgan Stanley financials
| Revenue TTM | US$68.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 38.87% |
| Gross profit TTM | US$59.5 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 1.25% |
| Return on equity TTM | 15.14% |
| Profit margin | 23.61% |
| Book value | 62.983 |
| Market capitalisation | US$263.2 billion |
| EBITDA | US$0 |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Morgan Stanley share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 39.49% of net profits
Recently Morgan Stanley has paid out, on average, around 39.49% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.44% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Morgan Stanley shareholders could enjoy a 2.44% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Morgan Stanley's case, that would currently equate to about $3.85 per share.
While Morgan Stanley's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Morgan Stanley may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
Morgan Stanley's most recent dividend payout was on 13 November 2025. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 30 October 2025 (the "ex-dividend date").
Morgan Stanley's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Morgan Stanley.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Morgan Stanley's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 21.96
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Morgan Stanley's overall score of 21.96 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 31st percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Morgan Stanley is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
Morgan Stanley's environmental score
Environmental score: 2.31/100
Morgan Stanley's environmental score of 2.31 puts it squarely in the 2nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Morgan Stanley is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Morgan Stanley's social score
Social score: 10.97/100
Morgan Stanley's social score of 10.97 puts it squarely in the 2nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Morgan Stanley is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Morgan Stanley's governance score
Governance score: 7.68/100
Morgan Stanley's governance score puts it squarely in the 2nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Morgan Stanley is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Morgan Stanley's controversy score
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Morgan Stanley scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Morgan Stanley hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Morgan Stanley was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 21.96 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 31.16 |
| Environmental score | 2.31 |
| Environmental score percentile | 2 |
| Social score | 10.97 |
| Social score percentile | 2 |
| Governance score | 7.68 |
| Governance score percentile | 2 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
Morgan Stanley overview
Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. It offers capital raising and financial advisory services, including services related to the underwriting of debt, equity, and other securities, as well as advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and project finance. It also provides equity and fixed income products comprising sales, financing, prime brokerage, and market-making services; Asia wealth management; business-related investments services; originating corporate and commercial real estate loans, secured lending facilities, and extending securities; and research. In addition, the company offers financial advisor-led brokerage, custody, and administrative and investment advisory services; self-directed brokerage services; financial and wealth planning services; stock plan administration; securities-based lending, residential and commercial real estate loans, and other lending products; banking; and retirement plan services. Further, it provides equity, fixed income, alternatives and solutions, and liquidity and overlay services to benefit/defined contribution plans, foundations, endowments, government entities, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, third-party fund sponsors, corporations, and individuals. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
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