MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over QCOM overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and lower modeled downside.
QCOM
QUALCOMM Incorporated
QCOM 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.
QCOM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
QCOM's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable.
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.
QCOM PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 14x | $175 | -1.1% |
| Current | 14x | $177 | — |
| Fair | 20x | $248 | +40% |
| Expensive | 26x | $333 | +88% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
QCOM 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.
QCOM Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for QCOM to show an outlook.
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 QCOM on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
QCOM Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $12.70 | +153% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.76 | -15% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.32 | -4.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.96 | -47% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.01 | -44% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.35 | +34% |
| Q1 2025 | $9.80 | +32% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.34 | +35% |
QCOM earned $12.70 per share over the past year, up 153% 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 QCOM 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 QCOM on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
QCOM Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $10.3B | -8.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.9B | -4% |
| Q1 2026 | $10.6B | -3.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $12.3B | +5% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.3B | +10% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.4B | +10% |
| Q1 2025 | $11B | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.7B | +17% |
QCOM's revenue grew through 2024 and has held roughly level since: $10.3B last quarter, down 8.4% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13% | -13 points |
| Q2 2026 | 16% | -10 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | -6.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 27% | -3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 26% | +0.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 28% | +3.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +1 points |
QCOM's operating margin was 13% last quarter, down 13 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom 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.
QCOM Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.8B | -49% |
| Q2 2026 | $495M | -81% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.9B | -18% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.4B | +2.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.6B | +50% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | -3.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.3B | -31% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.3B | +58% |
QCOM 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.
QCOM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +4M shares |
| 1 year | -2.9% | -32M shares |
| 3 years | -4.7% | -53M shares |
| 5 years | -6.6% | -76M shares |
| Available history | -7.4% | -86M shares |
QCOM has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.4B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.8B |
| Q4 2025 | $2.7B |
| Q3 2025 | $2.4B |
| Q2 2025 | $2.8B |
| Q1 2025 | $1.7B |
| Q4 2024 | $1.8B |
QCOM spent $7.8B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 11% 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.
QCOM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.4x | Very low |
QCOM 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).
QCOM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 50.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 40.2 | Neutral |
QCOM's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 40 (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.
QCOM PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | QCOM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 14x | 28x | 50% below |
| PE % | 17 | 35 | 18 pts below |
QCOM 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.
QCOM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $177.2 | 0% below |
| 20 week MA | $172.8 | 2.5% above |
| 50 week MA | $170.7 | 3.8% above |
| 100 week MA | $164.3 | 7.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $155.1 | 14% above |
QCOM 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 the edge over QCOM on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
QCOM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $88.8 | $148.8 | +68% |
| 2021 | $148.8 | $182.7 | +23% |
| 2022 | $182.7 | $110.8 | -39% |
| 2023 | $110.8 | $144.6 | +30% |
| 2024 | $144.6 | $157.2 | +8.7% |
| 2025 | $157.2 | $174.8 | +11% |
| 2026 YTD | $174.8 | $177.1 | +1.3% |
QCOM has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 1.3% so far in 2026.