MS
Morgan Stanley
MS's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
NTRS
Northern Trust Corporation
NTRS has the edge over MS overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
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.
NTRS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
NTRS's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like NTRS.
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.
NTRS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 12x | $155 | -13% |
| Current | 14x | $178 | — |
| Forward | 14x | $178 | — |
| Fair | 15x | $188 | +6% |
| Expensive | 18x | $235 | +32% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NTRS 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 NTRS on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and revenue expectations.
NTRS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect NTRS's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
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 NTRS on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NTRS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $12.59 | -1.3% |
| Q3 2026 | $12.76 | +49% |
| Q2 2026 | $11.65 | +37% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.55 | -11% |
| Q4 2025 | $8.74 | -11% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.57 | +6.6% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.50 | +16% |
| Q1 2025 | $10.71 | +136% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.77 | +92% |
NTRS earned $12.76 per share over the past year, up 49% 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 has the edge over NTRS 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's operating margin was 32% last quarter, down 1.2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
NTRS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.3B | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.7B | +35% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.2B | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.1B | +8.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $2B | +2.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $2B | -26% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.9B | +18% |
| Q4 2024 | $2B | +27% |
NTRS's revenue is recovering but still below its 2024 peak: $2.3B last quarter, up 13% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 35% | +4.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 39% | +11 points |
| Q1 2026 | 32% | +4.9 points |
| Q4 2025 | 30% | -0.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 31% | +0.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 28% | -15 points |
| Q1 2025 | 27% | +9.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +21 points |
NTRS has the edge over MS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
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.
NTRS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.8B | +254% |
| Q2 2026 | -$90.3M | -105% |
| Q1 2026 | -$329.4M | -112% |
| Q4 2025 | $355.6M | +$3B |
| Q3 2025 | $509.4M | -13% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.9B | -37% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.7B | +$4.2B |
| Q4 2024 | -$2.7B | -198% |
NTRS 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.
NTRS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.9% | -1.7M shares |
| 1 year | -4.1% | -7.8M shares |
| 3 years | -12% | -24.1M shares |
| 5 years | -12% | -25.7M shares |
| Available history | -15% | -32.4M shares |
NTRS has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $352.3M |
| Q2 2026 | $350.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $358.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $369.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $277M |
| Q2 2025 | $339.4M |
| Q1 2025 | $287.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $253.6M |
NTRS spent $1.4B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 24% from 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.
NTRS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.6x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.6x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 2.2x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.0x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 2.0x | Healthy |
NTRS 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).
NTRS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 56.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 37.9 | Neutral |
NTRS's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 38 (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.
NTRS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | NTRS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 14x | 13x | 7% above |
| PE % | 42 | 63 | 21 pts below |
NTRS 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's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 46% above its 200-week average.
NTRS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $171.1 | 3.9% above |
| 20 week MA | $178.9 | 0.7% below |
| 50 week MA | $162.4 | 9.4% above |
| 100 week MA | $138.6 | 28% above |
| 200 week MA | $111.2 | 60% above |
NTRS 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.
NTRS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $107.0 | $91.6 | -14% |
| 2021 | $91.6 | $118.2 | +29% |
| 2022 | $118.2 | $88.0 | -26% |
| 2023 | $88.0 | $84.4 | -4.1% |
| 2024 | $84.4 | $103.8 | +23% |
| 2025 | $103.8 | $140.1 | +35% |
| 2026 YTD | $140.1 | $177.7 | +27% |
NTRS has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.