MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PIPR
Piper Sandler Companies
PIPR has a slight 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.
PIPR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
PIPR's profitability is currently strong, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like PIPR.
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 has the edge over PIPR in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
PIPR PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 12x | $48.99 | -26% |
| Forward | 15x | $66.09 | — |
| Current | 16x | $66.09 | — |
| Fair | 21x | $88.71 | +34% |
| Expensive | 36x | $153 | +132% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PIPR's PE is in its fair range at 16x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 15x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
MS has the edge over PIPR on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
PIPR Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for PIPR, with profitability 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'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.
PIPR Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $4.52 | +6.4% |
| Q3 2026 | $4.25 | +28% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.32 | +46% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.96 | +38% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.95 | +54% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.32 | +42% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.96 | +55% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.86 | +95% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.56 | +106% |
PIPR has the edge over MS on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
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 PIPR on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
PIPR Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $443M | -7.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $495.5M | +25% |
| Q1 2026 | $474.4M | +33% |
| Q4 2025 | $666.1M | +38% |
| Q3 2025 | $479.3M | +33% |
| Q2 2025 | $396.8M | +17% |
| Q1 2025 | $357.3M | +4.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $484.1M | +2.6% |
PIPR's revenue is growing: $443M last quarter, down 7.6% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | -7.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 20% | +7.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 19% | +10 points |
| Q4 2025 | 28% | +11 points |
| Q3 2025 | 22% | +6.9 points |
| Q2 2025 | 12% | +4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8.2% | -7 points |
| Q4 2024 | 17% | -1.2 points |
PIPR's operating margin was 15% last quarter, down 7.4 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.
PIPR Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $349.9M | +997% |
| Q2 2026 | $36.3M | +13% |
| Q1 2026 | -$291.7M | -$84.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $729.8M | +345% |
| Q3 2025 | $31.9M | -60% |
| Q2 2025 | $32.1M | -88% |
| Q1 2025 | -$207.2M | -$10M |
| Q4 2024 | $163.8M | -61% |
PIPR 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 the edge over PIPR on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
PIPR Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.8% | -574K shares |
| 1 year | -0.8% | -565K shares |
| 3 years | +2.4% | +1.6M shares |
| 5 years | +3.6% | +2.5M shares |
| Available history | +25% | +14.3M shares |
PIPR has 71M diluted shares, down 0.8% from a year ago, with $160M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $39.4M |
| Q2 2026 | $31M |
| Q1 2026 | $69.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $19.8M |
| Q3 2025 | $3.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $20.9M |
| Q1 2025 | $80.6M |
| Q4 2024 | $6.5M |
PIPR spent $160M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 43% 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.
PIPR Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -2.0x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.9x | Net Cash |
PIPR 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).
PIPR Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 37.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 22.5 | Neutral |
PIPR's weekly RSI is 38 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 22 (neutral).
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 PIPR on valuation relative to its sector.
PIPR PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | PIPR | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 16x | 13x | 19% above |
| PE % | 34 | 63 | 29 pts below |
PIPR is trading at 16x earnings, a 19% 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 has the edge over PIPR on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
PIPR Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $66.0 | 0.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $71.4 | 7.4% below |
| 50 week MA | $77.9 | 15% below |
| 100 week MA | $75.9 | 13% below |
| 200 week MA | $61.9 | 6.8% above |
PIPR's trend is mixed: it's above two of its five weekly moving averages, and 6.8% above 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 PIPR on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
PIPR Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $19.9 | $25.0 | +26% |
| 2021 | $25.0 | $45.0 | +80% |
| 2022 | $45.0 | $33.5 | -26% |
| 2023 | $33.5 | $43.7 | +31% |
| 2024 | $43.7 | $75.3 | +72% |
| 2025 | $75.3 | $87.5 | +16% |
| 2026 YTD | $87.5 | $66.1 | -24% |
PIPR has finished higher in five of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's down 24% so far in 2026.