It retains its Average Parent rating.
Since acquiring Eaton Vance in March 2021, MSIM has been conservative in its approach to the merger. The firm kept Eaton Vance's legacy equity team a distinct platform from MSIM's own substantial capabilities, and it now offers several funds with potentially competing mandates. On the other hand, it moved relatively quickly to centralize the two legacy firms' fixed-income platforms, though several team leaders retired or departed the firm over 2021 and 2022.
Although Counterpoint Global's concentrated growth strategies, historically among MSIM's largest offerings, have struggled through 2021 and 2022, some of Eaton Vance's boutiques, including value-equity shop Atlanta Capital, help create a more-diversified lineup. MSIM has leveraged Calvert's substantial experience in sustainable investing to launch a series of Calvert-branded strategies both in the United States and Europe, and Parametric allows MSIM to compete in the fast-growing area of customized separate accounts. The firm has yet to demonstrate, however, that it has leveraged its increased size and scale to streamline and improve its operations or to systematically lower fees for its investors.