MS

There is a specific kind of earnings report that is genuinely hard to read. The one that beats on revenue, raises full-year guidance, shows improving margins, but still leaves investors asking whether the most important growth driver has actually arrived yet. MongoDB (MDB) just delivered exactly that quarter. And Morgan Stanley's response captures the tension precisely. Morgan Stanley raised its price target on MongoDB (MDB) after the company’s first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on May 28. The note's title said it plainly: MDB is down 24.65% year-to-date compared to the S&P 500's 10.78% gain, according to Yahoo Finance. The stock is being priced for a company whose AI moment has not yet arrived. Morgan Stanley argues that the timeline is getting shorter and that the underlying business is strong enough to own while waiting. Morgan Stanley raised its price target on MongoDB (MDB) to $380 from $335 in a note shared with me at TheStreet, maintaining its Overweight rating. This came after its Q1 fiscal 2027 results actually showed solid results. The first-quarter scorecard from MongoDB's May 28 earnings release: Total revenue of $687.6 million, up 25% year over year, beating consensus by $23 million Atlas cloud revenue up more than 29% year over year Enterprise Advanced revenue up more than 13% year over year Full-year fiscal 2027 guidance raised — FY27 revenue midpoint growth lifted to approximately 19.5% from 17% previouQ2 guidance calling for 24% growth, approximately $31 million ahead of consensus Source: Morgan Stanley Note and MongoDB First Quarter Fiscal 2027 Results The guidance raise is the headline number Morgan Stanley wants you and other investors to focus on. The full-year outlook was raised by $60 million. In fact, that is more than the Q1 beat and Q2 raise combined, according to the note. That means management is seeing something in the second half of fiscal 2027 that justified raising beyond what the near-term results alone warranted. Related: Bank of America resets MongoDB stock price target ahead of earnings This here is the one soft note from the note. Atlas’ 29% growth came in slightly below elevated investor expectations of 30%-31%, particularly after strong recent results from peers Datadog and Snowflake. Management described Atlas as having become more predictable and less sensitive to individual customer movements, characterizing the curre...

A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Moelis (MC). Shares have added about 2.7% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. But investors have to be wondering, will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Moelis due for a pullback? Well, first let's take a quick look at its latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent catalysts for Moelis & Company before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late. Moelis & Company’s first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 50 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 59 cents. The bottom line declined 21.9% from the prior-year quarter.Results were hurt by an increase in expenses and lower other income. These were partially offset by a rise in revenues. Also, the company had a solid liquidity position in the quarter.Net income (GAAP basis) was $38.4 million compared with $50.3 million in the prior-year quarter. Total revenues (GAAP basis) in the quarter grew 4.3% year over year to $319.8 million. However, the top line lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $336.1 million.Total quarterly operating expenses (GAAP basis) were $279.3 million, up 3.6% year over year. The rise was due to an increase in occupancy costs, communication, technology and information services expenses, travel and related expenses, depreciation and amortization charges and other expenses. Our estimate for total operating expenses was $271.4 million.Other income (GAAP basis) was $5.7 million, down 7.8% from the prior-year quarter. We projected the metric to be $8.6 million.As of March 31, 2026, the company had cash and liquid investments of $353.7 million, with no debt. In the reported quarter, the company repurchased 1.9 million shares for $117.3 million. This includes 1.0 million shares to settle tax liabilities and a quarterly record of 0.9 million shares on the open market. The company expects 2026 non-compensation expenses to grow at a similar rate to 2025 due to the ongoing investments in technology, including AI, increased deal-related travel expenses and growth in headcount. Since the earnings release, investors have witnessed a flat trend in fresh estimates. Currently, Moelis has a great Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with an F. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated...

MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB) gained more than 4% in pre-market trading on Friday, adding to a 10.6% rise from the previous session, after the database software provider delivered first-quarter fiscal 2027 results that surpassed analyst forecasts across key financial metrics and increased its outlook for the full year. The stock experienced significant volatility following the earnings release, initially surging more than 20% in after-hours trading before surrendering much of those gains. Morgan Stanley attributed the reversal to management comments suggesting that Atlas growth was “more likely to sustain rather than accelerate.” MongoDB reported first-quarter revenue of $687.6 million, representing year-on-year growth of 25.2% and exceeding the consensus estimate of $664.1 million by $23.5 million. Adjusted diluted earnings per share came in at $1.32, outperforming analyst expectations of $1.19 by $0.13. Adjusted operating income reached $123.2 million, comfortably ahead of the consensus forecast of $108.9 million, while adjusted gross profit totalled $512.2 million, exceeding expectations of $493.1 million and producing a gross margin of 74.5%. MongoDB’s Atlas cloud database platform continued to be a major growth driver during the quarter. Atlas revenue increased 29.4% year-on-year to $512.5 million, slightly faster than the 29.2% growth recorded in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, Enterprise Advanced and other subscription revenue rose 13.4% to $153.7 million, comfortably above the analyst consensus estimate of $144.9 million. The company also delivered strong cash generation, with free cash flow reaching $197.5 million compared with market expectations of $125.4 million. MongoDB reported continued growth among higher-value customers. The number of customers generating more than $100,000 in annual recurring revenue increased to 2,895, compared with 2,506 in the same period last year. “We delivered better-than-expected first quarter results, as our go-to-market teams continue to execute well and capitalize on strong end-market demand for the MongoDB platform across enterprise use cases and emerging AI opportunities,” said President and Chief Executive Officer CJ Desai. Management also issued stronger-than-expected guidance for both the current quarter and the full fiscal year. For the second quarter, MongoDB expects revenue of between $729 million and $734 million...

Agilent Technologies stock surges as Wall Street approves of the company’s second-quarter earnings and guidance update.

(Bloomberg) -- Strategists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. joined peers at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank AG in seeing a 17% return for the S&P 500 Index this year. Most Read from Bloomberg Iran’s Khamenei Says No Going Back for Middle East Rocked by War Singapore Hands Byju's Founder His First Ever Jail Term Putin Signs Law on Use of Army to Aid Russians Detained Abroad Russia Tells US to Evacuate Its Diplomats and Citizens From Kyiv US Strikes Targets in Iran Even as Trump Hails Progress on Deal Earnings growth powered by the AI boom will drive further gains in stocks, the Goldman team led by Ben Snider said as they increased their year-end target for the US benchmark to 8,000 points, ditching a previous forecast of 7,600. “Continued earnings growth should drive continued equity market upside,” the strategists wrote in a note. “The increased return forecast reflects increased estimates for S&P 500 earnings following an exceptionally strong first-quarter reporting season.” The S&P 500 has already jumped almost 10% this year thanks to a rally in tech stocks as investors prioritize strong earnings over the geopolitical and economic fallout from the Iran war. The US benchmark hit its latest record high on Tuesday, closing at 7,519 points. The Goldman strategists also increased their earnings-per-share forecast for companies in the S&P 500 to $340 for 2026, signaling year-on-year growth of 24%. They project a further increase of 13% for 2027. Beneficiaries of artificial intelligence infrastructure investment should account for roughly half of S&P 500 EPS growth this year, the strategists said. Meanwhile, increases in valuations should be tempered by risks to the outlook, they said. “The combination of decelerating earnings growth and continued uncertainty around both AI and the macroeconomic outlook should prevent a major increase in valuations,” the strategists wrote. “AI sentiment and interest rates create risks in both directions.” (Adds Tuesday’s closing level for the S&P 500 in fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek How Barnes & Noble Became Private Equity’s Most Radical Retail Experiment America Can’t Produce Enough Honey ICE Raids Did Lasting Damage to American Businesses Courts Are Swamped With AI-Powered Do-It-Yourself Lawsuits It’s Such a Mess Shopping for Reasonably Priced Menswear ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Track your investments for FREE with Simply Wall St, the portfolio command center trusted by over 7 million individual investors worldwide. Morgan Stanley (MS) is drawing fresh attention after a run of analyst upgrades and higher earnings estimates, with the stock’s recent move closely tied to this stronger sentiment around its business performance. See our latest analysis for Morgan Stanley. Those upgrades and earnings revisions are landing against a strong backdrop, with the stock showing positive momentum as a 30 day share price return of 7.3% feeds into a 1 year total shareholder return of 59.9%. If you are already looking beyond large financial stocks, this could be a useful moment to broaden your search and check out 20 top founder-led companies With the share price near US$201.76 and only a small 0.8% gap to the average analyst target of about US$203.29, the key question now is whether Morgan Stanley still offers an opportunity or if the market is already pricing in future growth. At $201.76, the most widely followed narrative puts Morgan Stanley’s fair value closer to $190.33, using a detailed cash flow and earnings framework built on analyst forecasts. Read the complete narrative. Curious what justifies that fair value gap? The narrative leans on measured revenue growth, steady margin assumptions, and a future earnings multiple that is not especially aggressive. The real surprise is how these ingredients combine when discounted back at a little over 9%. Using a 9.21% discount rate, the narrative treats Morgan Stanley as a company with moderate long term growth in both revenue and profit margins, plus a modest reduction in share count over time. That mix feeds into a future earnings profile and P/E that are then discounted to arrive at the $190.33 figure, which sits below the current price and frames the stock as slightly ahead of that narrative fair value today. Result: Fair Value of $190.33 (OVERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, investors still need to factor in the risk that tighter regulation or faster client shifts toward low fee passive products could put pressure on Morgan Stanley’s fees and margins. Find out about the key risks to this Morgan Stanley narrative. The mix of optimism and concern around Morgan Stanley is clear. Now is a good time to look through the data yourself and...

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) is one of the best commodity stocks to buy for the supercycle. Morgan Stanley cut the price target on Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) to NOK 376 from NOK 388 on May 12, maintaining an Equal Weight rating on the shares. The rating update came after the company reported its fiscal Q1 2026 financial results, stating that it delivered an adjusted operating income of $9.77 billion and $2.86 billion after tax in fiscal Q1 2026. Net operating income for the quarter came up to $8.78 billion, with a net income of $3.10 billion and adjusted net income of $3.70 billion, which led to adjusted earnings per share of $1.48. Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) reported production growth of 9% from strong operational performance while maintaining cost and capital discipline. It also closed several key strategic milestones in the quarter, including seven commercial discoveries on the NCS and the start of drilling at the Raia gas field in Brazil. ​Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) explores, transports, produces, refines, and markets petroleum and petroleum-derived products. The company’s operations are divided into the following segments: Exploration and Production Norway, Exploration and Production International, Exploration and Production USA, Marketing, Midstream, Processing, Renewables, and Other. While we acknowledge the potential of EQNR as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Make You Rich in 10 Years AND 12 Best Stocks That Will Always Grow. Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Raymond James Financial, Inc. (RJF). Shares have lost about 2% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Raymond James Financial due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Raymond James’ second-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended March 31) adjusted earnings of $2.83 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.76. Also, the bottom line increased 16.9% from the prior-year quarter.Results benefited primarily from an increase in revenues to record levels. Robust growth in assets under administration balances further supported results. However, an increase in expenses was a headwind.Net income available to common shareholders (GAAP basis) was $542 million or $2.72 per share, up from $493 million or $2.36 in the prior-year quarter. Net revenues were a record $3.86 billion, up 13.4% year over year. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.75 billion.Segment-wise, in the reported quarter, the Private Client Group recorded 13% year-over-year growth in net revenues. Asset Management’s net revenues also rose 13%, while Capital Markets’ top line increased 17%. Bank registered a rise of 12% from the prior year's net revenues, while Others recorded negative revenues.Non-interest expenses jumped 14.3% from the prior-year quarter to $3.12 billion. The increase was due to a rise in all cost components except for bank loan provision for credit losses. As of March 31, 2026, client assets under administration were $1.76 trillion, up 15% from the prior-year period. Financial assets under management of $282.4 billion grew 15% year over year. As of March 31, 2026, Raymond James had total assets of $91.9 billion, up 3% from the prior-quarter end. Total common equity was $12.6 billion, up 1% from the previous quarter.Book value per share was $64.58, up from $59.74 as of March 31, 2025.As of March 31, 2026, the total capital ratio was 24%, down from 24.8% as of March 31, 2025. The Tier 1 capital ratio was 22.9% compared with 23.5% as of March 31, 2025.Return on common equity (annualized basis) was 17.3% at the end of the reported quarter compared with 16.4% a year...

A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR). Shares have added about 7.3% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. But investors have to be wondering, will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Interactive Brokers due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Interactive Brokers’ first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of 60 cents missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 62 cents. However, the bottom line reflected a rise of 27.7% from the prior-year quarter.Results were primarily hurt by a rise in expenses. However, an increase in revenues, growth in customer accounts and a rise in DARTs acted as tailwinds. After considering non-recurring items, net income available to common shareholders (GAAP basis) was $267 million or 59 cents per share, up from $213 million or 48 cents per share in the prior-year quarter.Interactive Brokers reported comprehensive income available to common shareholders of $246 million or 65 cents per share compared with $241 million or 55 cents per share in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted net revenues were $1.68 billion, up 20.3% year over year. Total GAAP net revenues were $1.67 billion, up 17% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the top line was $1.71 billion.Total non-interest expenses increased 2.4% year over year to $381 million. The rise was due to an increase in almost all cost components, except for execution, clearing and distribution fees.Income before income taxes was $1.29 billion, up 22.1% year over year.The adjusted pre-tax profit margin was 77%, up from 73% a year ago.In the reported quarter, total customer DARTs jumped 24% year over year to 4.37 million.Customer accounts grew 31% from the year-ago quarter to 4,754,000. As of March 31, 2026, cash and cash equivalents (including cash and securities set aside for regulatory purposes) totaled $100.4 billion compared with $81.8 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025.As of March 31, 2026, total assets were $218.7 billion compared with $203.2 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025. Total equity was $21.3 billion, up from $20.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025. Management anticipates that the effect of a 25-basis point (bp) decr...

Investing.com -- Upcoming first-quarter earnings from software companies are unlikely to be the catalyst for a broad re-rating of the software-as-a-service sector, Morgan Stanley said, even if results come in ahead of expectations. In a note from analyst Josh Baer, the bank explained that the market's focus on artificial intelligence disruption to SaaS has "pressured narratives and multiples for some time, as investors price competition, business model, margin, and terminal value risks." The bank mentioned that while fundamental strength could now be rewarded, "Q1 does not look to be the catalyst quarter for SaaS." Morgan Stanley argued that modest beats and constructive management commentary will not be sufficient to drive a re-rating. Instead, the firm said clear evidence of acceleration and meaningful positive estimate revisions would be needed to refute the AI bear case. The group currently trades at just 2.6 times enterprise value to next-twelve-months sales. Among individual names, Morgan Stanley prefers Samsara and Box heading into the print. On Box, the bank cited leading growth indicators already in the teens, improving net revenue retention and an Enterprise Advanced product cycle driving 30% to 40% pricing uplift versus Enterprise Plus, calling it the clearest path to durable double-digit growth in the content and collaboration space. On Salesforce, Morgan Stanley said AI and Agentforce consumption remains early, pointing instead to the second half as the better timing for a catalyst. On Workday, the bank said it lacks conviction in the current remaining performance obligation guidance, "given weakness around bookings last quarter." Related articles Upcoming software earnings ’unlikely to re-rate’ SaaS stocks broadly: MS These 2 stocks are best positioned to benefit from higher uranium prices: analyst JPMorgan outlines ten strategic themes that could shape the outlook for 2026

Morgan Stanley recently reported record first-quarter 2026 results, with earnings rising sharply on strong performance in its Institutional Securities and Wealth Management divisions and robust client engagement across its global franchise. These results, supported by ongoing share repurchases and stable credit costs, highlight how Morgan Stanley’s diversified model is generating sizable fee income from over US$9.00 billion in client assets while still benefiting from active markets. We’ll now examine how this record quarter, particularly the strength in investment banking and trading, may influence Morgan Stanley’s existing investment narrative. This technology could replace computers: discover 26 stocks that are working to make quantum computing a reality. To own Morgan Stanley, you need to believe its mix of Institutional Securities and Wealth Management can keep turning client activity into solid fee and trading income, while capital returns help support per-share earnings. The record Q1 2026 results reinforce that story and, in my view, the most important near term catalyst remains sustained investment banking and markets activity. Key risks around regulation and digital disruption are not eliminated by this quarter, but they also are not materially changed by it. Among recent announcements, Morgan Stanley joining the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange as its first international Remote Trading Member stands out. It ties directly into the investment narrative by expanding trading access for clients and potentially deepening global flows that feed its Institutional Securities franchise, which just reported a record quarter. For investors focused on catalysts, this kind of incremental market access can matter when combined with strong investment banking and trading momentum. Yet even with record earnings, investors should be aware that increased regulatory scrutiny and evolving capital rules could still... Read the full narrative on Morgan Stanley (it's free!) Morgan Stanley's narrative projects $83.2 billion revenue and $19.7 billion earnings by 2029. This requires 5.8% yearly revenue growth and a $3.5 billion earnings increase from $16.2 billion. Uncover how Morgan Stanley's forecasts yield a $190.33 fair value, in line with its current price. Some of the most optimistic analysts were already assuming earnings could reach about US$21.9 billion, and they see a...

There's a version of Cisco (CSCO) that Wall Street wrote off years ago — a legacy networking giant stuck in the slow lane while flashier AI names grabbed all the attention. That story is getting harder to tell lately. The 41-year-old multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in California just reported record quarterly revenue of $15.8 billion, up 12% year over year, beating the high end of its own guidance. Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) came in at $1.06, ahead of expectations. CEO Chuck Robbins didn't bury the lead. "Cisco delivered record quarterly revenue in Q3, and we saw very strong, broad-based demand for our products," he said in the company’s third-quarter earnings statement, "demonstrating the relevance of our technology for connecting and securing AI." Morgan Stanley was already watching. The firm had been overweight on Cisco for a while, betting on a combination of hyperscaler relationships, an enterprise product cycle, and a networking spend backdrop that was quietly strengthening. The last time Cisco grew at this pace? More than 15 years ago. After this third quarter 2026 (Q32026), Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $120 from $91, in a note shared with me at TheStreet. The single most important number in Cisco's quarter wasn't revenue or EPS. It was the AI orders figure, and it moved dramatically. Coming into Q3, Cisco had guided for roughly $5 billion in AI infrastructure orders for fiscal year 2026 (FY26). After the quarter, that target was raised to $9 billion, according to Cisco’s Q32026 statement. Year-to-date AI orders already stood at $5.3 billion through Q3. My review of the data shows how fast this has moved: FY25 AI orders: $2 billion FY26 AI orders guidance (original): $5 billion FY26 AI orders guidance (revised): $9 billion FY27 AI revenue commitment: At least 50% YoY growth, targeting approximately $6 billion Source: Morgan Stanley note According to the Morgan Stanley note, all five major hyperscalers grew triple digits in AI-related orders. That means the strength is broad, not concentrated in one or two relationships. The firm added five new design wins in Q3 alone — two in optics and three in systems — according to the note. Morgan Stanley flagged one thing worth watching: AI orders totaled $1.9 billion in Q3, down from $2.1 billion in Q2 and $1.8 billion in Q1. The quarterly figure can be lumpy. The company...