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Shares outstanding are shares that have been authorized, issued, and purchased by investors and are held by them. Morgan Stanley's average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 1,576 Mil.
Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) Explanation
A company may buy back shares or issue shares in any fiscal period. If a company buys back shares, we should observe that the total number of shares decline. If the company issues new shares, the number of shares outstanding increases.
Be Aware
Usually the presence of treasury shares and a history of buyback are good indicators that company has competitive advantage. But studies have shown that companies usually buy back at wrong time. Buying back shares below its intrinsic value increases value for remaining shareholders. Buying back overvalued shares destroys value for existing shareholders.
Morgan Stanley Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) Related Terms
Morgan Stanley Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Morgan Stanley's Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Morgan Stanley Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) Chart
Morgan Stanley Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) Calculation
Shares outstanding are shares that have been authorized, issued, and purchased by investors and are held by them. They have voting rights and represent ownership in the corporation by the person that holds the shares. They should be distinguished from treasury shares, which are shares held by the corporation itself, having no exercisable rights.
Shares outstanding can be calculated as either basic or fully diluted. The fully diluted shares outstanding count includes diluting securities, such as options, warrants or convertibles.
Please note: GuruFocus named Shares Outstanding (EOP) is the shares for that exact time point. It is usually used to calculate balance sheet related items, such as Book Value per Share, etc. While Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) and Shares Outstanding (Basic Average) are the weighted average shares over a period of time (a year, a quarter, or so). They are usually used to calculate income statement or cashflow statement related items, such as Earnings per Share (Diluted), etc.
What does a Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) of 1,576 Mil mean?
Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) has a Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) of 1,576 Mil as of Mar. 2026. The average shares outstanding over two periods including dilutive securities like preferred shares and convertibles. View historical data on Morgan Stanley and its competitors.
Is Morgan Stanley's Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) too high?
Morgan Stanley's current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) is 1,576 Mil. Overall, Morgan Stanley has a GF Score™ of 71/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Morgan Stanley's Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) compare to GS and SCHW?
Morgan Stanley's Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) of 1,576 Mil can be compared against companies in the Capital Markets industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) for a Capital Markets company?
A good Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) depends on the Capital Markets industry context. However, Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) mean?
A high Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The average shares outstanding over two periods including dilutive securities like preferred shares and convertibles. View historical data on Morgan Stanley and its competitors. Morgan Stanley's current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) is 1,576 Mil. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Morgan Stanley stock overvalued right now?
Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) has a current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) of 1,576 Mil. The stock's GF Value™ is CHF123.36, compared to a current price of CHF179.18 — trading 45.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) is 1,576 Mil. Morgan Stanley's overall GF Score™ is 71/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) calculated?
Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS), the current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) is 1,576 Mil as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Morgan Stanley stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of CHF179.18 is trading 45.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of CHF123.36.
Key valuation signals for XSWX:MS:
Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average): 1,576 Mil
GF Value™: CHF123.36 vs. price of CHF179.18 (45.2% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the XSWX:MS stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Morgan Stanley is a massive global financial services firm, with offices in 42 countries and more than 82,000 employees as of year-end 2025. The firm cut its teeth in investment banking and institutional trading, where it maintains a strong presence today, but generates the lion share of its income from wealth and asset management franchises, where it boasted $9.3 trillion in client assets at the end of 2025. After reincorporation as a bank holding company in the wake of the global financial crisis, Morgan Stanley also boasts a top 10 banking franchise by deposits, with more than $400 billion in customer deposits, predominately attributable to cash sweeps from its wealth management and brokerage businesses.
71GF Score
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