Is Morgan Stanley Stock Outperforming the S&P 500?

Morgan Stanley phone and chart backgound by- Sergei Elagin via Shutterstock

Neharika Jain

Thu, February 26, 2026 at 12:30 AM GMT+9 2 min read

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MS

+2.93%

^GSPC

+0.76%

Valued at a market cap of $264.9 billion, Morgan Stanley (MS) is an investment bank and financial services company based in New York. It provides investment banking, wealth management, investment management, and sales & trading services to corporations, governments, institutions, and individual clients.

Companies worth $200 billion or more are typically classified as “mega-cap stocks,” and MS fits the label perfectly, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the capital markets industry. With a strong global presence and a reputation for handling large, complex transactions, Morgan Stanley is considered one of the world’s most influential financial institutions.

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This financial giant is currently trading 12.4% below its 52-week high of $192.68 reached on Jan. 16. Shares of MS have soared 3.7% over the past three months, outpacing the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 2.8% rise during the same time frame.

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Moreover, in the longer term, MS has surged 29.9% over the past 52 weeks, outperforming SPX’s 13.2% uptick over the same time frame. However, on a YTD basis, shares of MS are down 4.9%, lagging SPX’s marginal rise.

To confirm its recent bearish trend, MS has been trading below its 50-day moving average since early February. However, it has remained above its 200-day moving average since early May 2025.

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On Feb. 19, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management announced that EquityZen, the private shares marketplace it acquired in January 2026, will immediately reduce transaction fees for both investors and shareholders on its platform. The move is expected to enhance pricing efficiency and improve accessibility for market participants.

MS has trailed behind its rival, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS), which rose 44.1% over the past 52 weeks and 2.7% on a YTD basis.

Given MS’ recent outperformance, analysts remain moderately optimistic about its prospects. The stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the 27 analysts covering it, and the mean price target of $193.87 suggests a 14.9% premium to its current price levels.

_ On the date of publication, Neharika Jain did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com _

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