diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformer.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformer.java
index 5fbe491afb..c703b80138 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformer.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformer.java
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ public class MethodInvokingTransformer implements Transformer {
 
 	public Message<?> transform(Message<?> message) {
 		Object result = this.invoker.invokeMethod(message);
+		if (result instanceof Message) {
+			return (Message<?>) result;
+		}
 		if (result instanceof Properties && !(message.getPayload() instanceof Properties)) {
 			Properties propertiesToSet = (Properties) result;
 			MessageBuilder<?> builder = MessageBuilder.fromMessage(message);
@@ -53,7 +56,7 @@ public class MethodInvokingTransformer implements Transformer {
 			}
 			return builder.build();
 		}
-		else if (result instanceof Map && !(message.getPayload() instanceof Map)) {
+		if (result instanceof Map && !(message.getPayload() instanceof Map)) {
 			Map<?, ?> attributesToSet = (Map <?, ?>) result;
 			MessageBuilder<?> builder = MessageBuilder.fromMessage(message);
 			for (Object key : attributesToSet.keySet()) {
@@ -65,9 +68,7 @@ public class MethodInvokingTransformer implements Transformer {
 			}
 			return builder.build();
 		}
-		else {
-			return MessageBuilder.withPayload(result).copyHeaders(message.getHeaders()).build();
-		}
+		return MessageBuilder.withPayload(result).copyHeaders(message.getHeaders()).build();
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformerTests.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformerTests.java
index 95f6d2f73f..c4542b06f2 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformerTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/transformer/MethodInvokingTransformerTests.java
@@ -173,6 +173,25 @@ public class MethodInvokingTransformerTests {
 		assertEquals("baz", result.getHeaders().get("prop3"));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void messageReturnValueConfiguredWithMethodReference() throws Exception {
+		TestBean testBean = new TestBean();
+		Method testMethod = testBean.getClass().getMethod("messageReturnValueTest", Message.class);
+		MethodInvokingTransformer transformer = new MethodInvokingTransformer(testBean, testMethod);
+		Message<String> message = MessageBuilder.withPayload("test").build();
+		Message<?> result = transformer.transform(message);
+		assertEquals("test", result.getPayload());
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void messageReturnValueConfiguredWithMethodName() throws Exception {
+		TestBean testBean = new TestBean();
+		MethodInvokingTransformer transformer = new MethodInvokingTransformer(testBean, "messageReturnValueTest");
+		Message<String> message = MessageBuilder.withPayload("test").build();
+		Message<?> result = transformer.transform(message);
+		assertEquals("test", result.getPayload());
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 	public void propertiesPayloadConfiguredWithMethodReference() throws Exception {
@@ -246,6 +265,10 @@ public class MethodInvokingTransformerTests {
 			properties.setProperty("prop2", "bar");
 			return properties;
 		}
+
+		public Message<?> messageReturnValueTest(Message<?> message) {
+			return message;
+		}
 	}
 
 }