Morgan Stanley raises quarterly dividend, announces $20 billion buyback

Published 01/07/2025, 21:46
Morgan Stanley raises quarterly dividend, announces $20 billion buyback

NEW YORK - Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), currently trading near its 52-week high of $142.03, announced Tuesday it will increase its quarterly common stock dividend to $1.00 per share from the current $0.925 per share, representing an 8.1% increase. According to InvestingPro data, this marks the company’s 11th consecutive year of dividend increases, with the current yield at 2.63%. The new dividend will take effect with the expected declaration by the firm’s Board of Directors in the third quarter of 2025.

The financial services firm, with a market capitalization of $226.43 billion, also revealed that its Board has reauthorized a multi-year common equity share repurchase program of up to $20 billion, without a set expiration date, beginning in the third quarter of 2025.

"Our improved stress test results reflect the strength and durability of our franchise," said Ted Pick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley, in a press release statement. "We remain committed to consistently growing our quarterly dividend."

The company’s announcement follows the Federal Reserve’s release of its Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) 2025 results on June 27. As a result, Morgan Stanley expects to be subject to a Stress Capital Buffer (SCB) of 5.1% from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, under current regulatory standards.

This SCB results in an aggregate U.S. Basel III Standardized Approach Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio requirement of 12.6%. The firm reported its actual CET1 ratio was 15.3% as of March 31, 2025.

The share repurchases will be conducted at prices Morgan Stanley deems appropriate, considering market conditions, capital position, and future economic outlook, according to the company.

In other recent news, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has increased the yield on its $5 billion debt offering, led by Morgan Stanley. The revised terms now include $3 billion in bonds with a 12.5% yield, up from the initial offer of 12%, and a $1 billion fixed-rate term loan also at 12.5%. Additionally, a $1 billion term loan B is priced at 725 basis points over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, sold at a discount of 96 cents on the dollar. The yield increase comes amid modest investor demand, with Morgan Stanley extending the deadline for commitments. Meanwhile, Citi has raised its price target for Morgan Stanley to $130 from $125, maintaining a Neutral rating. This adjustment follows optimistic updates from Morgan Stanley executives about a potential rebound in capital markets activity. In another development, Octagon Credit Investors is set to hire Sean Sullivan from Morgan Stanley to expand its direct lending business. Sullivan’s move is part of Octagon’s strategy to diversify into the $1.7 trillion private credit market.

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