ECPG
Encore Capital Group, Inc.
ECPG has a slight edge over MS overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
ECPG Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
ECPG's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like ECPG.
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.
ECPG PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 4.4x | $68.62 | -38% |
| Fair | 6.2x | $96.38 | -12% |
| Forward | 6.8x | $110 | — |
| Current | 7.1x | $110 | — |
| Expensive | 11x | $164 | +49% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ECPG 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.
ECPG Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for ECPG, with profitability improving. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
MS has the edge over ECPG on the outlook, with more favorable valuation expectations.
ECPG Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $16.12 | +3.6% |
| Q3 2026 | $15.56 | +$17.35 |
| Q2 2026 | $13.16 | +$16.86 |
| Q1 2026 | $12.84 | +$17.69 |
| Q4 2025 | $10.91 | +$16.74 |
| Q3 2025 | -$1.79 | +$6.00 |
| Q2 2025 | -$3.70 | +$4.56 |
| Q1 2025 | -$4.85 | +$3.67 |
| Q4 2024 | -$5.83 | +$2.89 |
ECPG has returned to profit: it earned $15.56 per share over the past year, after losing money 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.
ECPG Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $544.5M | +18% |
| Q2 2026 | $491.9M | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $475.4M | +21% |
| Q4 2025 | $473.6M | +78% |
| Q3 2025 | $460.4M | +25% |
| Q2 2025 | $442.1M | +24% |
| Q1 2025 | $392.8M | +20% |
| Q4 2024 | $265.6M | -4.2% |
ECPG's revenue has grown year over year for seven quarters in a row: $545M last quarter, up 18% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 42% | +4.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 38% | +3.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 39% | +5.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 37% | +87 points |
| Q3 2025 | 38% | +8.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 34% | +5.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 33% | +7.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | -51% | +28 points |
ECPG 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.
ECPG Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $101.9M | +35% |
| Q2 2026 | -$37.8M | -1283% |
| Q1 2026 | $77.5M | +102% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.9M | -34% |
| Q3 2025 | $75.6M | +90% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.2M | -89% |
| Q1 2025 | $38.3M | -13% |
| Q4 2024 | $15M | -48% |
ECPG 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.
ECPG Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2.4% | -536K shares |
| 1 year | -5.4% | -1.3M shares |
| 3 years | -8.7% | -2.1M shares |
| 5 years | -29% | -9.2M shares |
| Available history | -29% | -9.2M shares |
ECPG has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q1 2023 | $25.6M |
| Q4 2022 | $10.4M |
| Q3 2022 | $25.9M |
| Q2 2022 | $25.1M |
| Q1 2022 | $25.7M |
| Q4 2021 | $302.5M |
| Q3 2021 | $40.7M |
| Q2 2021 | $27M |
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.
ECPG Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 5.9x | High |
| Q3 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 18.5x | High |
ECPG 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.
ECPG Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 68.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 58.7 | Neutral |
ECPG's weekly RSI is 68 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 59 (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).
ECPG PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | ECPG | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 7.1x | 13x | 46% below |
| PE % | 67 | 63 | 4 pts above |
ECPG 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.
ECPG Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $102.2 | 7.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $98.8 | 11% above |
| 50 week MA | $80.9 | 36% above |
| 100 week MA | $61.2 | 79% above |
| 200 week MA | $54.5 | 101% above |
ECPG 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.
ECPG Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $36.0 | $37.8 | +5.1% |
| 2021 | $37.8 | $60.2 | +59% |
| 2022 | $60.2 | $47.2 | -22% |
| 2023 | $47.2 | $50.8 | +7.6% |
| 2024 | $50.8 | $47.5 | -6.4% |
| 2025 | $47.5 | $55.5 | +17% |
| 2026 YTD | $55.5 | $109.9 | +98% |
ECPG 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.