We recently compiled a list of the 15 Best S&P 500 Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) stands against the other stocks.
Stock market investors have enjoyed strong annual returns over the past two years, but analysts caution that 2025 may not deliver a repeat performance. In 2024, the broader market posted a 23% gain, following a 24% increase in 2023. When factoring in dividends, total returns for those years reached 25% and 26%, respectively. However, such sustained high returns are uncommon. According to Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, US stocks have only recorded three consecutive years of 20%-plus total returns once since 1928, during the late 1990s.
Analysts do not expect the market’s strong run to persist this year. A report from Morgan Stanley points out that while the third year of a bull market tends to deliver only modest returns on average, it is usually not negative.
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The report mentioned that one possible scenario for 2025 is that earnings-per-share growth outpaces market gains, leading to a decline in overall price-to-earnings valuations. Factors such as prolonged high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties could contribute to a lackluster year, causing some of the recent optimism to fade. However, if this happens, the market could regain momentum in 2026, making 2025 more of a temporary pause rather than a deeper downturn.
Dividends are a key component of the investment market, with nearly 80% of companies in the broader market distributing payments to shareholders. However, maintaining steady dividend increases is a difficult achievement. Only about 13% of companies in the index qualify for the Dividend Aristocrats Index, which includes corporations that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Investors are often drawn to dividend growth stocks, as they have demonstrated strong long-term performance, especially during times of elevated interest rates.
According to data from Abrdn, it was noted that between December 2002 and December 2022, companies that either increased or initiated dividends achieved a compounded return of 10.68%. In contrast, firms that reduced or discontinued their dividends saw a significantly lower return of 2.70%. In addition, it was highlighted that companies not paying dividends also lagged behind dividend growers, generating a return of 9.25% over the same timeframe.
When assessing the reliability of dividend stocks, analysts suggest that investors should emphasize dividend growth rather than being lured by high yields that may not be sustainable. Dan Lefkovitz, a strategist with Morningstar’s Index team, underscored the significance of dividend growth as a strategy distinct from high-yield investing. He pointed out that companies with consistent dividend growth often have strong competitive advantages and promising future outlooks. A portfolio focused on dividend growth generally mirrors the broader market in terms of sector allocation and the balance between growth and value characteristics, including price-to-earnings ratios. While it leans toward a value-driven approach, it remains more balanced and core-oriented compared to portfolios concentrated on high-yield stocks.
Although dividend stocks did not experience the same level of gains as tech stocks in 2024, they still delivered impressive returns. That year, companies across the broader market that distributed dividends returned approximately 35% of their net income and 45% of their free cash flow to shareholders, according to Bloomberg. On average, these companies had a dividend yield of around 2.3%, while the market capitalization-weighted yield was about 1.5%. Given this, we will take a look at some of the best dividend stocks in the broader market.
Our Methodology
For this list, we scanned the list of the companies in the broader market and picked dividend stocks with dividend yields of about 2%, as of February 27. From that list, we picked 15 dividend stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors, according to Insider Monkey’s database of over 1,000 hedge funds, as of Q4 20234. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in them.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A panoramic view of a financial institution, representing the number of corporations who trust the company’s services.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 64
A global financial services company, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) offers a wide range of related products and services to its consumers. In Q4 2024, the company reported revenue of $16.2 billion, reflecting a 25% year-over-year increase. Net income rose to $3.7 billion, or $2.22 per diluted share, compared to $1.5 billion, or $0.85 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Wealth and Investment Management’s total client assets reached $7.9 trillion, which was supported by strong market performance and continued net inflows. The company remains committed to its Integrated Firm model, focusing on four key areas—strategy, culture, financial strength, and growth—to drive long-term shareholder value.
In the past 12 months, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has surged by over 51%, outperforming the market. The company continued its focus on shareholder returns, distributing $150 million in dividends during the latest quarter. In recent years, the company has prioritized expanding its wealth management division, enhancing its technological infrastructure, and maintaining financial stability amid evolving regulatory requirements. These efforts have been instrumental in improving client services through innovation, managing asset growth, and navigating regulatory challenges effectively.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), one of the best dividend stocks, currently offers a quarterly dividend of $0.925 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.86%, as of February 27. The company remained committed to its shareholder value as it returned $150 million to investors through dividends.
Overall MS ranks 11th on our list of the best S&P 500 dividend stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential for MS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
