Why is MS stock up today?

MS fell 1.6% over five trading days, closing at $181.44 on Nov. 6, 2026. A move like this can come from the company itself or from a rally across its sector.

Below, we compare MS with its closest peers. We also check upcoming earnings and Fed dates. And we look at what Morgan Stanley's insiders and SEC filings show.

The chart below tracks MS's daily closing price from May 13, 2026 to Nov. 6, 2026. Over that stretch it is down 5.3%, from $191.58 to $181.44, with a high of $225.90 on July 15, 2026 and a low of $177.36 on Oct. 19, 2026. Each red circle marks a week in which company insiders sold shares on the open market (2 weeks in this period; bigger circles mean more money). There are no green diamonds: no insider bought on the open market in this window.

What could be behind the MS move

We found no Morgan Stanley earnings report within the last 10 days or next three weeks. We also found no notable SEC filing in recent weeks. Nothing company-specific on the public record explains the move on its own.

Across the broader market, the backdrop is an uptrend under stress. The VIX volatility index stands at 25.64. The Federal Reserve's next rate decision is on Dec. 9, 2026, 30 days away. Market pricing puts the odds at 19% for a hold, 80% for a hike and 2% for a cut.

Also worth knowing about MS

Live MS data, updated every 30 minutes: MS insider trades, ownership and filings →

What would change the picture for MS

These are the specific events and levels to watch. None of them is a prediction.

• The Jan. 14, 2027 earnings report is 66 days away. Morgan Stanley beat estimates in all 4 of the last 4 quarters, with an average surprise of +8.2%. A miss would break that pattern.
• Insider buying: none on the open market in 90 days. A purchase by an executive or director would be the first in at least three months. It would show up on SEC Form 4 within two business days.
• Analyst ratings: the average score moved from 3.81 to 3.79 over three months. On this scale, 5 is strong buy and 1 is strong sell. A run of downgrades after earnings usually shows up here first.
• Price levels: a close above $225.9 would be a new 52-week high, 24.5% above the latest close of $181.44. A close below $151.78 would be a new 52-week low, 16.3% below it.
• Growth: revenue rose 16.2% year over year in the quarter ending Sep 2026. The trend is steady. At a P/E of 14.4, a slowdown would matter more than at a lower multiple.
• New shares: dilution risk is moderate now. A new shelf registration (S-3) or a prospectus supplement (424B) for an offering would raise it.

How MS compares with its peers

Over the past month MS ranks 4 of 6 in this group at -2.6%. The best was WFC at +2.9%. The weakest was BAC at -7.8%.

MS's P/E of 14.4 is above the peers' median of 12.5. Investors pay more for each dollar of its profit, usually for faster expected growth.

MS history: what happened after similar moves

Since 2023, MS fell 10% or more in a month 5 times (separate episodes, not counting the current one). Three months later it was higher in 4 of 4 cases; the median change was +24.8%.

Past moves don't predict the next one; they show how volatile the stock has been.

Questions people also ask

What is MS's 52-week high and low?

Over the past year MS closed as high as $225.9 and as low as $151.78. At $181.44 on Nov. 6, 2026, it is down 19.7% from the high and 19.5% above the low.

Do analysts think MS is a buy?

20 of the 33 analysts who cover Morgan Stanley rate it a buy or strong buy, for a consensus of Buy. Ratings describe analysts' views, not a guarantee, and they change after earnings.

Who is the largest shareholder of MS?

Among investment managers that file Form 13F, Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group Inc reported the largest MS position at $78.8 billion. 2728 institutions reported holding MS for Q2 2026.

Does MS pay a dividend?

Yes: $4.15 per share over the last 12 months, about 2.29% at today's price.

When does Morgan Stanley report earnings next?

The next report is expected on Jan. 14, 2027, 66 days from now. Morgan Stanley beat the average estimate in all 4 of the last 4 reports.

Are MS insiders buying or selling?

No Morgan Stanley insider bought or sold MS on the open market in the last 90 days, according to SEC Form 4 filings.

Dates to watch for MS

Insider trades can come any day: they must be filed on Form 4 within two business days.

Key terms on this page

P/E ratio

Price divided by the last 12 months of earnings per share. A P/E of 20 means investors pay $20 for each $1 of yearly profit. It is only defined when the company is profitable.

Form 4

The SEC form a company's officers, directors and 10% owners must file within two business days of buying or selling its stock.

Open-market trade

A purchase or sale on the exchange at the market price, paid with the insider's own money (code P or S on Form 4), as opposed to option exercises, grants or gifts.

Form 13F

A quarterly SEC report listing the U.S. stock holdings of every investment manager with more than $100 million. It is due 45 days after each quarter ends, so it shows positions with a delay.

Dilution

When a company issues new shares, each existing share owns a smaller piece of the company. Common sources: stock offerings, convertible debt and large stock-based pay.

52-week high / low

The highest and lowest daily closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days).

Analyst consensus

The average of Wall Street analysts' ratings (strong buy to strong sell). Analysts skew positive, so a hold is often read as a cautious view.

Where these numbers come from

Every number on this page is computed from the data when the page is refreshed (usually daily); nothing is typed in by hand. This is information, not investment advice.

• Price: daily closing prices run through Nov. 6, 2026. Changes use 5, 21 and 63 trading days. The 52-week range uses the last 252 closes.
• Insider trades: SEC Form 4 filings for the last 90 days, counting only open-market purchases (code P) and sales (code S); option exercises, grants, gifts and filings with data errors are left out.
• Analyst ratings: counts of current ratings come from 33 analysts, compared with three months ago.
• Earnings dates and estimates come from a market-data calendar. The data covers reported vs expected EPS for the last 4 quarters.
• Valuation and growth data come from the company's SEC filings, with XBRL data for the latest quarter ending Sep 2026. P/E and price/sales use the latest close.
• Fund ownership: SEC Form 13F filings cover Q2 2026.
• Dilution: share-count changes and offering-related SEC filings are scored 0-100 over two years. The filings include shelf registrations, prospectus supplements and convertible notes.
• History: 21-trading-day moves run over about three years of daily closes, counted once per episode.