Morgan Stanley reported record net income and revenues for the first quarter as the bank's equity trading unit navigated renewed financial market volatility even better than competitors like Goldman Sachs.
The bank's top and bottom line blew past Wall Street expectations. Its shares rose 3.1 percent in Wednesday's premarket session after the results.
Here's how the banking giant fared against analyst estimates:
- EPS: $1.45 cents per share vs. $1.25 expected by Thomson Reuters
- Revenue: $11.1 billion vs. $10.363 billion expected
- Wealth management: $4.4 billion vs. $4.5 billion expected by StreetAccount
- Fixed income, commodities and currencies trading: $1.9 billion vs. $1.67 billion expected
- Equities trading: $2.6 billion vs. $2.24 billion expected
"We delivered very strong results this quarter, with record revenues and net income - and an ROE above our target range," said CEO James Gorman in a release. "Each of our businesses performed well, with significant client engagement across our global franchise, and Sales and Trading a particular highlight in a more active environment."
The bank's net income rose to $2.7 billion for the quarter, up more than 40 percent year-over-year.
Morgan Stanley's equity trading revenue increased to $2.6 billion in the period, up 30 percent from a year ago. The bank said it benefited from "higher levels of client activity" during the quarter. In comparison, Goldman Sachs posted equity trading sales of $2.31 billion for the first quarter.
The company's fixed income, commodities and currencies trading sales rose 12 percent during the quarter, which is a dramatic improvement from the 46 percent revenue decline in its fourth-quarter. Morgan Stanley's asset management revenues increased to $626 million from $517 million last year.
Other major U.S. posted solid results this earnings season, but not as strong as Morgan Stanley.
Goldman Sachs reported better-than-expected results on Tuesday, while J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup all beat analysts' earnings per share expectations on Friday. All four bank stocks declined in the first trading session after their results.