MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over NRDS overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and lower modeled downside.
NRDS
NerdWallet, Inc.
NRDS offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
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.
NRDS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
NRDS's revenue and profitability are currently stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like NRDS.
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.
NRDS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 9.4x | $7.31 | — |
| Cheap | 11x | $8.58 | +17% |
| Forward | 11x | $7.31 | — |
| Fair | 19x | $14.91 | +104% |
| Expensive | 246x | $192 | +2522% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NRDS 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 |
MS has the edge over NRDS on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
NRDS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Deteriorating | |
| Strong decline | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect NRDS's earnings and profitability to decline, with its revenue holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
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 NRDS on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NRDS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $0.67 | -15% |
| Q3 2026 | $0.78 | -17% |
| Q2 2026 | $0.89 | +48% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.93 | +151% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.64 | +68% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.94 | +$1.07 |
| Q2 2025 | $0.60 | +$0.74 |
| Q1 2025 | $0.37 | +$0.53 |
| Q4 2024 | $0.38 | +$0.53 |
NRDS earned $0.78 per share over the past year, down 17% 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 NRDS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
NRDS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $239.6M | +11% |
| Q2 2026 | $197.3M | +5.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $222.2M | +6.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $225.4M | +23% |
| Q3 2025 | $215.1M | +12% |
| Q2 2025 | $186.9M | +24% |
| Q1 2025 | $209.2M | +29% |
| Q4 2024 | $183.8M | +37% |
NRDS has the edge over MS on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 8.1% | -7.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 3.5% | -2.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 12% | +12 points |
| Q4 2025 | 8.6% | +3.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 16% | +13 points |
| Q2 2025 | 5.7% | +12 points |
| Q1 2025 | 0.3% | -2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 4.7% | +1.3 points |
NRDS's operating margin was 8.1% last quarter, down 7.9 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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.
NRDS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $31M | -36% |
| Q2 2026 | $41.1M | +145% |
| Q1 2026 | $35.3M | +33% |
| Q4 2025 | $38.6M | +298% |
| Q3 2025 | $48.4M | +67% |
| Q2 2025 | $16.8M | +70% |
| Q1 2025 | $26.5M | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.7M | -67% |
NRDS 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.
NRDS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.7% | -1.1M shares |
| 1 year | -16% | -12.2M shares |
| 3 years | -17% | -12.8M shares |
| 5 years | -0.1% | -47.3K shares |
| Available history | +17% | +9.6M shares |
NRDS has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $10.5M |
| Q2 2026 | $22.8M |
| Q1 2026 | $66M |
| Q4 2025 | $50.7M |
| Q3 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q3 2024 | $68.7M |
| Q3 2023 | $10.8M |
| Q4 2021 | — |
NRDS spent $150M buying back its own shares over the past year.
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.
NRDS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.7x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
NRDS 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).
NRDS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 36.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 31.1 | Neutral |
NRDS's weekly RSI is 37 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 31 (neutral).
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.
NRDS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | NRDS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 9.4x | 13x | 28% below |
| PE % | 5 | 64 | 59 pts below |
NRDS has the edge over MS on valuation relative to its sector.
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 NRDS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
NRDS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $9.28 | 21% below |
| 20 week MA | $9.41 | 22% below |
| 50 week MA | $10.3 | 29% below |
| 100 week MA | $10.8 | 32% below |
| 200 week MA | $11.8 | 38% below |
NRDS is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 38% below its 200-week average.
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 NRDS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
NRDS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $25.9 | $15.1 | -42% |
| 2022 | $15.1 | $8.99 | -41% |
| 2023 | $8.99 | $14.7 | +64% |
| 2024 | $14.7 | $13.2 | -11% |
| 2025 | $13.2 | $13.9 | +5.8% |
| 2026 YTD | $13.9 | $7.31 | -48% |
NRDS has finished lower in three of the last five years. It's down 48% so far in 2026.