Morgan Stanley (MS) Covered Calls

Morgan Stanley covered calls Morgan Stanley is a premier global financial services firm that advises, originates, trades, manages, and distributes capital for governments, institutions, and individuals. The company operates through three world-class business segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. Known for its leadership in investment banking and its massive wealth advisory platform, the firm integrates advanced technology and AI to deliver strategic financial solutions.

You can sell covered calls on Morgan Stanley to lower risk and earn monthly income. Born To Sell's covered call screener gives you customized search capabilities across all possible covered calls but here are a couple of examples for MS (prices last updated Fri 4:16 PM ET):

Morgan Stanley (MS) Stock Quote
Last Change Bid Ask Volume P/E Market Cap
171.15 +3.09 170.15 172.50 9.2M 17 267
Covered Calls For Morgan Stanley (MS)
Expiration Strike Call Bid Net Debit Return
If Flat		 Annualized
Return If Flat
Feb 20 170 3.65 168.85 0.7% 31.9%
Mar 20 170 7.95 164.55 3.3% 33.5%
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Core Business and Products

Morgan Stanley (MS) is a titan of the global financial system, having successfully evolved from a traditional investment bank into a diversified wealth and asset management powerhouse. As of early 2026, the firm is defined by its stability and its ability to generate significant recurring revenue even during periods of market volatility. Its operations are organized into three synergistic segments:

  1. Institutional Securities: This segment provides investment banking, sales and trading, and lending activities. Morgan Stanley remains a top-tier adviser for global M&A and IPOs. In 2026, the firm is a leader in tech-sector financing, specifically supporting the massive capital expenditure requirements of the "AI infrastructure" boom.
  2. Wealth Management: This is the crown jewel of the company’s modern portfolio, overseeing more than $5.5 trillion in client assets. It provides brokerage, investment advisory, and financial planning services to affluent individuals and small businesses. A key differentiator in 2026 is the "AI@MS" suite, which uses agentic AI to help advisors automate complex portfolio rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting.
  3. Investment Management: Through Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) and the Eaton Vance acquisition, the firm offers a wide array of equity, fixed income, and alternative investment products. In 2026, it is a dominant player in "Private Credit" and "Infrastructure Funds," catering to institutional appetite for stable, long-duration yields.

Competitive Landscape

Morgan Stanley competes at the highest level of global finance, facing traditional bulge-bracket peers and specialized asset managers:

  1. The Bulge Bracket: In investment banking and trading, its most direct rivals are Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. While Goldman Sachs is a closer peer in pure investment banking, JPMorgan represents a broader challenge in both banking and wealth scale.
  2. Wealth Management Rivals: In the race for high-net-worth clients, the company vies with Bank of America (specifically its Merrill Lynch division) and the Swiss giant UBS Group.
  3. Asset Management Titans: For institutional capital and ETF market share, Morgan Stanley competes with BlackRock and Vanguard. It also increasingly clashes with alternative managers like Blackstone in the lucrative private credit space.

Strategic Outlook and Innovation

Entering February 2026, Morgan Stanley is focused on "The Great Broadening," a strategic theme that anticipates equity market gains extending beyond mega-cap tech into mid-cap and international sectors. The firm’s "Digital Transformation" is currently in its second phase, moving from simple AI assistants to "Agentic Workflows" that can execute multi-step financial tasks autonomously. Management has targeted a 20% Return on Tangible Common Equity (ROTCE) for 2026, supported by the integration of its E*TRADE platform into a unified "One MS" client experience. Innovation is further highlighted by the launch of "Quantum Alpha," a research project exploring quantum computing for complex derivative pricing. With a robust capital position and a focus on high-margin, fee-based revenue, Morgan Stanley is positioned as the definitive modern financial architect for a multipolar global economy.