Morgan Stanley (MS Quick QuoteMS - Free Report) reported $20.58 billion in revenue for the quarter ended March 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 16%. EPS of $3.43 for the same period compares to $2.60 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $19.85 billion, representing a surprise of +3.7%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +12.26%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $3.06.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Morgan Stanley performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Book value per common share: $66.18 versus $65.98 estimated by three analysts on average.
• Return on average common equity: 21% versus 19.3% estimated by three analysts on average.
• Net revenues- Institutional Securities: $10.72 billion compared to the $9.8 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +19.4% year over year.
• Revenues- Wealth Management- Net interest income: $2.17 billion compared to the $2.17 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +14.1% year over year.
• Revenues- Institutional securities- Investment banking: $2.12 billion compared to the $2.02 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +35.7% year over year.
• Net revenues- Investment Management: $1.54 billion compared to the $1.73 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of -4.2% year over year.
• Net revenues- Wealth Management: $8.52 billion versus $8.51 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +16.3% change.
• Revenues- Wealth Management- Asset management: $5.08 billion compared to the $5.1 billion average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +15.5% year over year.
• Net interest Revenue: $2.7 billion versus the two-analyst average estimate of $2.58 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +14.9%.
• Revenues- Institutional securities- Other: $99 million versus $83 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -85.7% change.
• Revenues- Institutional securities- Sales and trading- Equity: $5.15 billion compared to the $4.75 billion average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +24.7% year over year.
• Revenues- Investment Management- Performance-based income and other: $39 million compared to the $116.78 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -74.2% year over year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Morgan Stanley here>>>

Shares of Morgan Stanley have returned +16.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +5.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.