The Morgan Stanley building, in New York, on July 16, 2018.LUCAS JACKSON/Reuters
Morgan Stanley’s MS-N profit surpassed estimates on a bumper third quarter for investment banking that had also buoyed rivals, sending its stock to a record.
A revival in corporate debt issuance, initial public offerings (IPOs) and mergers has bolstered profits for Wall Street banks this year.
As markets hover near record highs and the U.S. Federal Reserve begins its policy-easing cycle, bankers expressed optimism that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) will continue to recover after a two-year drought.
“I’m bullish on IPOs and M&A coming back,” Morgan Stanley chief executive officer Ted Pick told analysts on a conference call. “It may take some time, and the size of the companies when they come will be likely larger.”
The bank’s stock rallied 6.5 per cent to US$119.51 on Wednesday.
Morgan Stanley’s profit jumped to US$1.88 a share, exceeding analyst views of US$1.58, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.
Investment banking revenue jumped 56 per cent in the third quarter. Competitor Goldman Sachs Group GS-N had posted a 20-per-cent surge in fees, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM-N saw a 31-per-cent gain.
“The company is executing very well across all the segments,” said Macrae Sykes, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds. “Ted Pick has quickly built a leadership presence and confidence from investors.”
Across the industry, global investment banking revenue rose 21 per cent in the first nine months of the year, led by a 31-per-cent surge in North America, according to data from Dealogic.
Morgan Stanley earned the fourth-highest fees globally over the same period, the data showed.
It was a lead underwriter on big initial public offerings in the quarter, including by cold storage giant Lineage Inc. and airplane engine maintenance services provider StandardAero.
“We are seeing a rise in equity capital markets activity led by financial sponsors, not only for IPOs in the U.S., but also in Europe,” chief financial officer Sharon Yeshaya said in an interview.
The institutional securities business, which houses investment banking and trading, generated revenue of US$6.82-billion, compared with US$5.67-billion a year ago.
Equity trading revenue was another bright spot, jumping 21 per cent as stocks rallied. Fixed-income revenue rose 3 per cent.
The investment bank’s profit climbed to US$3.19-billion from US$2.41-billion a year earlier.
The results “reflected strong earnings contributions from both its investing banking and wealth management franchises,” said Mike Taiano, vice-president of the financial institutions group at Moody’s Ratings. He noted its return on tangible equity of 17.5 per cent was among the highest among its peers, and cited loan growth as another positive.
Under former CEO James Gorman, who will serve as executive chairman until year-end, Morgan Stanley expanded into wealth management to generate stable revenue and even out volatility from trading and investment banking.
“The company has been a leader in wealth technology implementation, which should lead to better advisor productivity and share gains in asset gathering,” Mr. Sykes said.
Wealth management revenue – a key area of focus – increased to US$7.27-billion, compared with US$6.40-billion, a year ago.
The business added US$64-billion in net new assets and total client assets reached US$6-trillion. Combined with investment management assets of US$1.6-trillion, the bank is getting closer to its target of managing US$10-trillion in client assets.
“Total client assets have surpassed US$7.5-trillion across wealth and investment management supported by buoyant equity markets and net asset inflows,” Mr. Pick said.
Investment management revenue climbed to US$1.5-billion compared with US$1.3-billion a year ago, helped by higher asset management and related fees.