MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has a slight edge over NDAQ overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger valuation.
NDAQ
Nasdaq, Inc.
NDAQ's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
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.
NDAQ Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
NDAQ's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like NDAQ.
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.
NDAQ PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 24x | $87.92 | -19% |
| Forward | 24x | $109 | — |
| Fair | 27x | $100 | -7.9% |
| Current | 30x | $109 | — |
| Expensive | 35x | $128 | +18% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NDAQ has the edge over MS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for MS, with profitability improving.
NDAQ Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for NDAQ, with profitability improving.
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 NDAQ on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NDAQ Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $4.57 | +25% |
| Q3 2026 | $3.66 | +30% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.43 | +31% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.32 | +50% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.09 | +60% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.81 | +71% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.61 | +53% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.21 | +18% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.93 | -7.2% |
NDAQ earned $3.66 per share over the past year, up 30% from the year before.
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 has the edge over NDAQ on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
NDAQ Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.4B | +22% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.5B | +21% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.1B | +2.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.1B | +4.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $2B | +2.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.1B | +17% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.1B | +25% |
| Q4 2024 | $2B | +23% |
NDAQ has the edge over MS on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 31% | +0.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 28% | +0.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 31% | +4.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 30% | +4.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 30% | +6.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +3.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 26% | +1.7 points |
| Q4 2024 | 25% | +4 points |
NDAQ's operating margin was 31% last quarter, up 0.7 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
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.
NDAQ Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $459M | +202% |
| Q2 2026 | $634M | -7.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $629M | +2.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $536M | -17% |
| Q3 2025 | $152M | -19% |
| Q2 2025 | $687M | +68% |
| Q1 2025 | $614M | +25% |
| Q4 2024 | $645M | +72% |
NDAQ has the edge over MS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
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.
NDAQ Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.8% | -4.4M shares |
| 1 year | -2.7% | -15.7M shares |
| 3 years | +14% | +69.2M shares |
| 5 years | +10% | +52.8M shares |
| Available history | +12% | +62.4M shares |
NDAQ has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $323M |
| Q2 2026 | $355M |
| Q1 2026 | $548M |
| Q4 2025 | $286M |
| Q3 2025 | $115M |
| Q2 2025 | $100M |
| Q1 2025 | $115M |
| Q4 2024 | — |
NDAQ spent $1.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, about five times what it spent the year before.
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.
NDAQ Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q2 2026 | 2.6x | Moderate |
| Q1 2026 | 2.7x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.8x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 3.0x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 3.1x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 3.4x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.7x | Elevated |
NDAQ has the edge over MS on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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).
NDAQ Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 68.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 87.1 | Overbought |
NDAQ's weekly RSI is 68 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 87 (overbought).
MS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | MS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 15x | 13x | 15% above |
| PE % | 59 | 63 | 4 pts below |
MS has the edge over NDAQ on valuation relative to its sector.
NDAQ PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | NDAQ | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 30x | 13x | 128% above |
| PE % | 69 | 63 | 6 pts above |
NDAQ is trading at 30x earnings, a 128% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
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.
NDAQ Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $99.5 | 9.2% above |
| 20 week MA | $95.9 | 13% above |
| 50 week MA | $92.1 | 18% above |
| 100 week MA | $88.2 | 23% above |
| 200 week MA | $73.9 | 47% above |
NDAQ has the edge over MS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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.
NDAQ Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $36.0 | $42.9 | +19% |
| 2021 | $42.9 | $68.5 | +60% |
| 2022 | $68.5 | $61.3 | -11% |
| 2023 | $61.3 | $58.1 | -5.1% |
| 2024 | $58.1 | $78.4 | +35% |
| 2025 | $78.4 | $99.4 | +27% |
| 2026 YTD | $99.4 | $108.7 | +9.4% |
NDAQ has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.