APAM
Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc.
APAM offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over APAM overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
APAM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
APAM's profitability is currently strong, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like APAM.
MS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
MS's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like MS.
APAM PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 8.9x | $38.02 | -0.2% |
| Current | 8.9x | $38.10 | — |
| Forward | 10x | $38.10 | — |
| Fair | 12x | $50.23 | +32% |
| Expensive | 14x | $58.90 | +55% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
APAM has the edge over MS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
MS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 11x | $134 | -29% |
| Fair | 14x | $178 | -5.7% |
| Forward | 14x | $189 | — |
| Current | 15x | $189 | — |
| Expensive | 18x | $223 | +18% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MS's PE is in its fair range at 15x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 14x next year's earnings.
APAM Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Deteriorating | |
| Decline | |
| Stable | |
| Weakening | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect APAM's earnings and profitability to decline, with its revenue holding steady.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
MS has the edge over APAM on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
APAM Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $3.68 | -14% |
| Q3 2026 | $4.27 | +16% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.16 | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.99 | +9.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.05 | +11% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.68 | +1.7% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.78 | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.64 | +10% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.66 | +15% |
APAM's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $4.27 over the past year, up 16% from the year before, and higher year over year for 12 quarters in a row.
MS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.39 | +6.3% |
| Q3 2026 | $12.60 | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.37 | +40% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.04 | +29% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.21 | +28% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.76 | +48% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.84 | +45% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.53 | +55% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.95 | +53% |
MS has the edge over APAM on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
APAM Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $312.5M | +3.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $307.9M | +8.9% |
| Q1 2026 | $303M | +9.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $335.5M | +13% |
| Q3 2025 | $301.3M | +7.8% |
| Q2 2025 | $282.7M | +4.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $277.1M | +4.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $297.1M | +19% |
APAM's revenue has grown year over year for 13 quarters in a row: $313M last quarter, up 3.7% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 35% | +1.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 27% | -0.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 31% | -0.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 39% | +2.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 34% | +0.5 points |
| Q2 2025 | 28% | -3.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 31% | +1.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 37% | +6.1 points |
APAM has the edge over MS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
MS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20.3B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $21.3B | +27% |
| Q1 2026 | $20.6B | +16% |
| Q4 2025 | $17.9B | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $18.2B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $16.8B | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $17.7B | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $16.2B | +26% |
MS has the edge over APAM on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | -1.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 34% | +6.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 34% | +2.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 32% | +2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +5.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 28% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 31% | +2.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +14 points |
MS's operating margin was 32% last quarter, down 1.2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
APAM Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $108.4M | +168% |
| Q2 2026 | $115.4M | +127% |
| Q1 2026 | $181.2M | +15% |
| Q4 2025 | -$77.3M | -311% |
| Q3 2025 | $40.4M | -64% |
| Q2 2025 | $50.9M | -32% |
| Q1 2025 | $157.7M | +7.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $36.7M | +$48.2M |
APAM has the edge over MS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
MS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$46B | -$42.7B |
| Q2 2026 | -$2.7B | -123% |
| Q1 2026 | -$7.1B | +$16.9B |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.4B | -120% |
| Q3 2025 | -$3.3B | +$14B |
| Q2 2025 | $11.8B | +368% |
| Q1 2025 | -$24B | -650% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.8B | +$29.6B |
MS's free cash flow was −$58.3B over the past year, against −$3.7B the year before. Free cash flow isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like MS.
APAM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | +24.4K shares |
| 1 year | +1.1% | +713K shares |
| 3 years | +4.5% | +2.9M shares |
| 5 years | +18% | +10M shares |
APAM has 66M diluted shares, up 1.1% from a year ago.
MS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.2% | -3M shares |
| 1 year | -1.5% | -24M shares |
| 3 years | -4.7% | -77M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -246M shares |
| Available history | -4.5% | -74M shares |
MS has the edge over APAM on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
APAM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
APAM has the edge over MS on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 7.8x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 7.3x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 8.2x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 8.6x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 8.4x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 8.7x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 8.7x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 7.9x | High |
MS's net debt is about 7.8 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 8.4 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like MS.
APAM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 51.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 52.8 | Neutral |
APAM's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 53 (neutral).
MS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 45.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 18.7 | Oversold |
MS's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 19 (oversold).
APAM PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | APAM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 8.9x | 13x | 31% below |
| PE % | 17 | 63 | 46 pts below |
APAM has the edge over MS on valuation relative to its sector.
MS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | MS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 15x | 13x | 15% above |
| PE % | 59 | 63 | 4 pts below |
MS is trading at 15x earnings, a 15% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
APAM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $35.5 | 7.3% above |
| 20 week MA | $38.0 | 0.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $38.8 | 1.8% below |
| 100 week MA | $40.8 | 6.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $40.3 | 5.5% below |
APAM has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8- and 20-week averages, but 5.5% below its 200-week average.
MS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $186.5 | 1.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $203.3 | 6.9% below |
| 50 week MA | $191.9 | 1.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $164.9 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $129.3 | 46% above |
MS has the edge over APAM on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
APAM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $32.2 | $49.9 | +55% |
| 2021 | $49.9 | $47.0 | -5.9% |
| 2022 | $47.0 | $30.8 | -34% |
| 2023 | $30.8 | $44.2 | +43% |
| 2024 | $44.2 | $44.0 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | $44.0 | $41.8 | -4.9% |
| 2026 YTD | $41.8 | $38.1 | -8.9% |
APAM has finished lower in four of the last six years. It's down 8.9% so far in 2026.
MS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $51.1 | $68.1 | +33% |
| 2021 | $68.1 | $99.3 | +46% |
| 2022 | $99.3 | $86.1 | -13% |
| 2023 | $86.1 | $93.3 | +8.3% |
| 2024 | $93.3 | $126.8 | +36% |
| 2025 | $126.8 | $181.9 | +43% |
| 2026 YTD | $181.9 | $189.2 | +4% |
MS has the edge over APAM on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.