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Morgan Stanley-E*Trade Financial Deal Gets Regulatory Nod

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Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) has received regulatory approval from the Federal Reserve to acquire E*TRADE Financial in an all-stock deal worth $13 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed on Oct 2.

The deal, which was announced in February, is likely to position Morgan Stanley as a leader in the Wealth Management industry across all channels and segments, with significant increase in the scale and breadth of its franchise.

James P. Gorman, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley said, “Both our teams have worked tirelessly over the past six months to bring our organizations together, and we are excited about the benefits our combined firm will provide to our clients, employees and shareholders.”

Details & Financial Benefits

At the time of announcing the deal, it was stated that each shareholder of E*TRADE will get equivalent to 1.0432 of Morgan Stanley shares for every E*TRADE share held. This represented per share value of $58.74 based on the closing price of Morgan Stanley common stock as on Feb 19, 2020.

Further, based on data available in February, the combined entity would have client assets worth $3.1 trillion, 8.2 million retail client relationships and accounts, and 4.6 million stock-plan participants. We expect these numbers to have increased somewhat, mainly on the back of the upbeat and volatile equity market performance since then.

Post closure, cost savings of $400 million are expected, with optimization of technology infrastructure and shared corporate services, along with funding synergies of $150 million from E*TRADE’s around $56 billion of deposits. In addition, combined customer assets are likely to generate significant revenue opportunities.

The acquisition is likely to be accretive, once fully phased-in estimated cost and funding synergies are realized. Morgan Stanley’s common equity tier 1 ratio is estimated to improve more than 30 basis points (bps) on closure and augment return on tangible common equity by more than 100 bps, with fully phased-in cost and funding synergies.

Apart from this, the Wealth Management segment’s pre-tax profit margin is expected to be up more than 30%. Also, post integration, the combined wealth and investment management businesses are likely to contribute about 57% of Morgan Stanley’s pre-tax profits, excluding potential synergies, way above 26% recorded in 2010.

Conclusion

Morgan Stanley’s acquisition of E*Trade is in sync with its aim for transition toward “a more balance-sheet light business mix”, with diversified revenue sources. The deal was able to withstand the uncertainty surrounding the economy over coronavirus pandemic.

Shares of Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE have rallied 42.6% and 46.1%, respectively, over the past six months compared with 24.6% growth recorded by the industry.

Six Months Price Performance



Currently, both Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Similar Moves by Peers

Consolidation in the finance sector seems to be a way forward amid heightened costs of regulatory compliance and increased investments in technology. Also, the likelihood of a prolonged low interest rate environment is a concern. Thus, industry players are trying to strengthen profitability through strategic buyouts.

Last year, in a surprise move, Charles Schwab (SCHW - Free Report) had inked a deal to buy TD Ameritrade Holding (AMTD - Free Report) for nearly $26 billion. This stock and cash transaction will create a behemoth in online brokerage space. The deal is expected to close early next week.

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