C
Citigroup Inc.
C offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has a slight edge over C overall, supported by stronger valuation.
C Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
C's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like C.
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.
C PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 6.3x | $64.83 | -48% |
| Fair | 9.8x | $101 | -19% |
| Forward | 10x | $124 | — |
| Current | 12x | $124 | — |
| Expensive | 16x | $164 | +32% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
C 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.
C Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for C, 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.
C Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $12.18 | +19% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.27 | +44% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.28 | +37% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.09 | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.99 | +18% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.11 | +103% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.76 | +87% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.32 | +84% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.94 | +47% |
C has the edge over MS on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
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.
C Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $23.8B | +7.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $24.8B | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $24.6B | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $19.9B | +1.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $22.1B | +8.7% |
| Q2 2025 | $21.7B | +7.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $21.6B | +2.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $19.6B | +12% |
C's revenue has grown year over year for 10 quarters in a row: $23.8B last quarter, up 7.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 31% | +6.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 32% | +8.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 31% | +5.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 19% | -0.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 24% | +2.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 24% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 25% | +3.7 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | +32 points |
C's operating margin was 31% last quarter, up 6.4 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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 C 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 has the edge over C on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
C Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $22.3B | +$22.8B |
| Q2 2026 | -$25.6B | +$12.7B |
| Q1 2026 | -$23.3B | +$36.9B |
| Q4 2025 | $24.9B | +7.9% |
| Q3 2025 | -$517M | +$17.7B |
| Q2 2025 | -$38.3B | -$19.7B |
| Q1 2025 | -$60.2B | -$47.8B |
| Q4 2024 | $23.1B | +$29.5B |
C has the edge over MS on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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.
C Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.7% | -29M shares |
| 1 year | -8.4% | -156M shares |
| 3 years | -13% | -245M shares |
| 5 years | -16% | -320M shares |
| Available history | -25% | -559M shares |
C has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3B |
| Q2 2026 | $4B |
| Q1 2026 | $6.3B |
| Q4 2025 | $4.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $5B |
| Q2 2025 | $2B |
| Q1 2025 | $1.8B |
| Q4 2024 | $968M |
C spent $17.8B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 83% from the year before.
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 1.6B diluted shares, down 1.5% from a year ago.
C Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13.0x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 13.0x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 13.5x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 15.0x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 15.2x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 16.0x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 15.5x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 16.0x | High |
C's net debt is about 13 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 15 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like C.
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 has the edge over C on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
C Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 46.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 16.5 | Oversold |
C's weekly RSI is 47 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 16 (oversold).
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).
C PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | C | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 13x | 7.2% below |
| PE % | 60 | 63 | 3 pts below |
C 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.
C Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $125.4 | 1.1% below |
| 20 week MA | $131.3 | 5.5% below |
| 50 week MA | $124.8 | 0.6% below |
| 100 week MA | $104.4 | 19% above |
| 200 week MA | $79.0 | 57% above |
C has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 57% above 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 C on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
C Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $79.7 | $60.6 | -24% |
| 2021 | $60.6 | $60.2 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | $60.2 | $44.3 | -26% |
| 2023 | $44.3 | $51.4 | +16% |
| 2024 | $51.4 | $71.0 | +38% |
| 2025 | $71.0 | $120.4 | +70% |
| 2026 YTD | $120.4 | $124.1 | +3% |
C has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's up 3% 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 C on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.