MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has a slight edge over PRU overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
PRU
Prudential Financial, Inc.
PRU 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.
PRU Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
PRU's profitability is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like PRU.
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 PRU in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
PRU PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 7.6x | $83.42 | -32% |
| Forward | 9.2x | $122 | — |
| Current | 11x | $122 | — |
| Fair | 15x | $161 | +31% |
| Expensive | 31x | $339 | +177% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PRU's PE is in its fair range at 11x. On analysts' estimates for next year's earnings, today's price would be 9.2x, in its cheap range.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
MS has the edge over PRU on the outlook, with more favorable earnings and revenue expectations.
PRU Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect PRU's earnings, revenue and profitability to hold roughly 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 PRU on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
PRU Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.31 | +21% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.98 | +50% |
| Q2 2026 | $11.03 | +143% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.71 | +53% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.99 | +33% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.31 | -35% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.54 | -42% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.34 | +7.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.50 | +12% |
PRU's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $10.98 over the past year, against $19.51 in late 2021.
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 PRU 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 has the edge over PRU on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
PRU Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $14.4B | -19% |
| Q2 2026 | $15.7B | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.5B | +15% |
| Q4 2025 | $15.7B | +25% |
| Q3 2025 | $17.9B | -8.2% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.7B | -7.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $13.5B | -43% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.5B | -17% |
PRU's revenue is growing: $14.4B last quarter, down 19% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 11% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 7.5% | +2.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 4.7% | -2.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 7.7% | +8.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 10% | +7.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 5.4% | -4.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 6.8% | +0.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | -1.2% | -12 points |
PRU's operating margin was 11% last quarter, up 1.4 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.
PRU Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.9B | -8.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.3B | +102% |
| Q1 2026 | $1B | +$3.5B |
| Q4 2025 | $3.3B | +43% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.3B | +289% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.2B | +$1.3B |
| Q1 2025 | -$2.5B | -148% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.3B | +111% |
PRU 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.
PRU Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.5% | -1.7M shares |
| 1 year | -1.9% | -6.6M shares |
| 3 years | -4.5% | -16.2M shares |
| 5 years | -10% | -40.4M shares |
| Available history | -16% | -64.5M shares |
PRU has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $250M |
| Q2 2026 | $250M |
| Q1 2026 | $246M |
| Q4 2025 | $254M |
| Q3 2025 | $250M |
| Q2 2025 | $250M |
| Q1 2025 | $246M |
| Q4 2024 | $254M |
PRU spent $1B buying back its own shares over the past year, about the same as 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.
PRU Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q3 2023 | 3.4x | Elevated |
| Q2 2023 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q1 2023 | 11.2x | High |
| Q3 2022 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q2 2022 | 2.0x | Healthy |
| Q1 2022 | 1.0x | Healthy |
PRU 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).
PRU Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 61.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 48.9 | Neutral |
PRU's weekly RSI is 61 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 49 (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.
PRU PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | PRU | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 11x | 13x | 14% below |
| PE % | 42 | 63 | 21 pts below |
PRU 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.
PRU Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $116.8 | 4.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $118.5 | 3.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $110.0 | 11% above |
| 100 week MA | $108.7 | 13% above |
| 200 week MA | $106.5 | 15% above |
PRU 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.
PRU Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $93.2 | $76.7 | -18% |
| 2021 | $76.7 | $108.3 | +41% |
| 2022 | $108.3 | $99.6 | -8% |
| 2023 | $99.6 | $103.7 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | $103.7 | $119.1 | +15% |
| 2025 | $119.1 | $114.0 | -4.3% |
| 2026 YTD | $114.0 | $122.4 | +7.4% |
PRU has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.