(Reuters) - A resurgence in investment banking helped Morgan Stanley's profit beat Wall Street expectations for the second quarter, but weakness in its key wealth business sent the bank's shares nearly 3% lower before the bell on Tuesday.
Revenue growth in the wealth management segment slowed to 2% in the second quarter, compared with a 16% jump a year ago. Net new assets came in at $36 billion, below $89.5 billion last year.
The bank's wealth business had flourished under former CEO James Gorman, generating more stable revenue than more volatile market-sensitive businesses such as investment banking and trading. It aims to manage $10 trillion in client assets.
Chief Financial Officer Sharon Yeshaya said in an interview with Reuters the growth of the business was within the bank's expected range.
The growth in the wealth business had helped Morgan Stanley weather the industry-wide, two-year slump in investment banking better than Wall Street peer Goldman Sachs.
The segment's revenue increased to $6.79 billion in the quarter from $6.66 billion a year earlier, slightly shy of Wall Street expectations, according to LSEG data.
The bank's net income rose to $3.1 billion, or $1.82 per share, in the three months ended June 30, compared with $2.2 billion, or $1.24 per share, a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected $1.65, according to LSEG.
The results reflected an "overall solid quarter," wrote analysts led by Keith Horowitz at Citigroup.
"The stock was priced with a relatively high bar heading into the print, which may explain pre-market weakness as the focus is on wealth management... we remain highly confident in the wealth management story here," he wrote, noting that growth in net new assets can be uneven.
Morgan Stanley's quarterly total revenue of $15.02 billion also handily surpassed Wall Street expectations of $14.30 billion.
INVESTMENT BANKING REVIVAL
An improving economic outlook, expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts and surging equity markets have spurred buyouts, debt sales and stock offerings after a nearly two-year dry spell for Wall Street. Global investment banking revenues jumped 17% in the first half to $41.6 billion, according to data from Dealogic.
Morgan Stanley's investment banking revenue surged 51% to $1.62 billion in the second quarter.
"The firm delivered another strong quarter in an improving capital markets environment," said CEO Ted Pick in a statement.
Yeshaya said the investment banking business was in the early innings of recovery.
Within the business, equity underwriting revenue jumped 56% to $352 million, driven by a rebound in initial public offerings and private stock sales, while fixed income underwriting surged 71% to $675 million, boosted by corporate debt sales.
Advisory revenues also climbed 30% to $592 million on higher completed deals.
Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citi had also reported robust investment banking revenue.
Morgan Stanley's equity and bond trading desks also outperformed expectations in the quarter. Equity net revenue climbed 18% from a year ago, while fixed income net revenues increased 16%.
The bank's institutional securities unit reported revenues of $7 billion in the second quarter, up from $5.7 billion a year earlier.
By Manya Saini and Tatiana Bautzer
Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Devika Syamnath
