BWFG
Bankwell Financial Group, Inc.
BWFG has the edge over MS overall, supported by stronger fundamentals.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
BWFG Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
BWFG's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like BWFG.
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.
BWFG PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 6.2x | $35.20 | -51% |
| Fair | 11x | $62.72 | -12% |
| Forward | 11x | $71.51 | — |
| Current | 13x | $71.51 | — |
| Expensive | 17x | $96.68 | +35% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
BWFG's PE is in its fair range at 13x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 11x next year's earnings.
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 has the edge over BWFG in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
BWFG Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for BWFG, with profitability improving.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for MS, with profitability improving.
BWFG Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $6.59 | +16% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.67 | +55% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.36 | +104% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.99 | +208% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.45 | +262% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.66 | +90% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.63 | -11% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.62 | -58% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.23 | -74% |
BWFG earned $5.67 per share over the past year, up 55% from the year before.
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's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $12.60 over the past year, up 29% from the year before, and higher year over year for 10 quarters in a row.
BWFG Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $35.3M | +24% |
| Q2 2026 | $32.8M | +26% |
| Q1 2026 | $30.2M | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $30.3M | +43% |
| Q3 2025 | $28.5M | +30% |
| Q2 2025 | $25.9M | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $23.6M | +6.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $21.2M | -9.5% |
BWFG's revenue has grown year over year for seven quarters in a row: $35M last quarter, up 24% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 47% | +0.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 50% | +4.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 48% | +9.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 47% | +28 points |
| Q3 2025 | 47% | +35 points |
| Q2 2025 | 46% | +39 points |
| Q1 2025 | 38% | +15 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | -30 points |
BWFG 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's revenue has grown year over year for 14 quarters in a row: $20.3B last quarter, up 12% from the same quarter a year ago.
| 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.
BWFG Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $12.2M | +23% |
| Q2 2026 | $10M | +65% |
| Q1 2026 | $7.3M | +89% |
| Q4 2025 | $7.3M | -49% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.9M | +$10.6M |
| Q2 2025 | $6.1M | -10% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.8M | -57% |
| Q4 2024 | $14.3M | +$15M |
BWFG 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.
BWFG Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -32.8K shares |
| 1 year | +1.3% | +103K shares |
| 3 years | +4.1% | +314K shares |
| 5 years | +2.7% | +209K shares |
| Available history | +2.1% | +164K shares |
BWFG has 8M diluted shares, up 1.3% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | $150,000 |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $422,000 |
| Q1 2025 | $912,000 |
| Q4 2024 | — |
BWFG has spent almost nothing on buybacks in the past year.
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 BWFG on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
BWFG Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -2.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -2.6x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | -5.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -7.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -12.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
BWFG 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.
BWFG Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 70.6 | Overbought |
| Stochastic | 77.6 | Neutral |
BWFG's weekly RSI is 71 (overbought) and its Stochastic is 78 (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).
BWFG PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | BWFG | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 13x | 13x | 3.1% below |
| PE % | 64 | 63 | 1 pt above |
BWFG 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.
BWFG Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $67.9 | 5.3% above |
| 20 week MA | $66.1 | 8.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $56.4 | 27% above |
| 100 week MA | $46.4 | 54% above |
| 200 week MA | $36.6 | 96% above |
BWFG has the edge over MS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 46% above its 200-week average.
BWFG Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $28.5 | $18.5 | -35% |
| 2021 | $18.5 | $32.0 | +73% |
| 2022 | $32.0 | $29.1 | -8.9% |
| 2023 | $29.1 | $30.2 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | $30.2 | $31.4 | +3.9% |
| 2025 | $31.4 | $47.0 | +50% |
| 2026 YTD | $47.0 | $71.5 | +52% |
BWFG has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
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 finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 4% so far in 2026.