Who is the owner of Morgan Stanley?
Like most large financial institutions, Morgan Stanley's current form is the result of several business combinations over a long period of time.
The original Morgan Stanley was founded in 1935 by two J.P. Morgan partners to split the investment banking business as a result of the Glass-Steagall Act. Over the years, it has made some big acquisitions, particularly a 1997 merger with Dean Witter Discover. Other notable acquisitions include E*TRADE in 2020 and Eaton Vance in 2021.
Morgan Stanley remained a private company until 1986, when its management decided it was the right time to go public. It has been a publicly traded company ever since, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MS.