Morgan Stanley Raises Quarterly Dividend 15% to $1.15

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) has increased its quarterly common-stock dividend to $1.15 per share from $1.00, a 15% rise. The new rate equates to an annualized dividend of $4.60 per share and a forward yield of 2.15% based on a share price of $214.20. The ex-dividend date was July 31, 2026.

The increase extends Morgan Stanley’s dividend-growth streak to 12 consecutive years. The financial-services company last reduced its payout in 2009.

Morgan Stanley tied the higher payout to its capital strength and ability to return funds to shareholders. Alongside the dividend increase, the board reauthorized a multi-year common-equity repurchase program without a fixed expiration date. Chief Executive Ted Pick said the firm’s globally scaled business supports durable returns and a strong capital position, giving it flexibility to invest in growth while returning capital to shareholders. Morgan Stanley’s announcement also noted that the Federal Reserve’s latest supervisory stress-test results did not change the firm’s stress-capital-buffer requirement.

The company subsequently reported its second-quarter results, continuing a reporting cycle that covers its investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management operations. Those diversified businesses can help broaden the sources of earnings available to support capital distributions, although common dividends remain subject to board approval and financial and regulatory conditions. Morgan Stanley’s investor-relations release provides the related quarterly-results materials.

What it means for income investors

At the new quarterly rate, an investor holding 100 shares would receive $115 per quarterly payment, or $460 on an annualized basis, before taxes and assuming the dividend remains unchanged. That is $60 more in annual income than under the previous rate.

The supplied dividend-safety assessment assigns Morgan Stanley a score of 80 out of 100 and an A grade. The 12-year growth record adds evidence of sustained payout progression, while the 2009 cut shows that the dividend has not been immune to periods of severe financial stress. The forward yield of 2.15% quantifies the current income level; it does not guarantee future payments, which remain at the board’s discretion.