CASH
Pathward Financial, Inc.
CASH offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over CASH overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
CASH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
CASH's profitability is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like CASH.
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.
CASH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 7.8x | $75.02 | — |
| Cheap | 7.9x | $63.26 | -16% |
| Current | 9.2x | $75.02 | — |
| Fair | 10x | $79.89 | +6.5% |
| Expensive | 13x | $99.80 | +33% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CASH 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.
CASH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for CASH, 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.
CASH Earnings Per Share
CASH and MS do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
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.
CASH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $189.6M | -3.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $276.3M | +0.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $173.1M | -5.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $186.7M | +4% |
| Q2 2025 | $195.8M | +11% |
| Q1 2025 | $274.8M | +11% |
| Q4 2024 | $182.6M | +12% |
| Q3 2024 | $179.5M | +12% |
CASH's revenue grew through 2024 and has held roughly level since: $190M last quarter, down 3.1% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 17% | -7.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 32% | -1.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 25% | +4.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 26% | +5 points |
| Q2 2025 | 24% | -2.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 33% | +0.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 20% | -0.9 points |
| Q3 2024 | 21% | -0.1 points |
CASH's operating margin was 17% last quarter, down 7.1 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 CASH on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| 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 CASH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CASH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $48.6M | +75% |
| Q1 2026 | $230.6M | +25% |
| Q4 2025 | $104.1M | +$177.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $300.3M | +116% |
| Q2 2025 | $27.7M | -73% |
| Q1 2025 | $184.7M | -3.4% |
| Q4 2024 | -$73.8M | -459% |
| Q3 2024 | $138.8M | +25% |
CASH 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.
CASH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2.6% | -554K shares |
| 1 year | -8.5% | -2M shares |
| 3 years | -20% | -5.3M shares |
| 5 years | -32% | -10.2M shares |
| Available history | -46% | -17.8M shares |
CASH has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
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.
CASH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -2.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2024 | 1.0x | Very low |
CASH 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.
CASH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 41.6 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 27.2 | Neutral |
CASH's weekly RSI is 42 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 27 (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).
CASH PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | CASH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 9.2x | 13x | 29% below |
| PE % | 37 | 63 | 26 pts below |
CASH 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.
CASH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $74.6 | 0.6% above |
| 20 week MA | $80.8 | 7.2% below |
| 50 week MA | $83.3 | 10% below |
| 100 week MA | $79.4 | 5.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $66.9 | 12% above |
CASH's trend is mixed: it's above two of its five weekly moving averages, and 12% 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 CASH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CASH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $35.5 | $36.7 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | $36.7 | $57.8 | +58% |
| 2022 | $57.8 | $42.5 | -26% |
| 2023 | $42.5 | $52.9 | +25% |
| 2024 | $52.9 | $74.0 | +40% |
| 2025 | $74.0 | $73.4 | -0.8% |
| 2026 YTD | $73.4 | $75.0 | +2.2% |
CASH has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's up 2.2% 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 CASH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.