MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over RF overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
RF
Regions Financial Corporation
RF's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
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.
RF Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
RF'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 RF.
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.
RF PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 8.1x | $20.63 | -28% |
| Forward | 10x | $28.51 | — |
| Fair | 11x | $27.95 | -2% |
| Current | 11x | $28.51 | — |
| Expensive | 13x | $33.96 | +19% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
RF 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 RF on the outlook, with more favorable revenue expectations.
RF Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect RF'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 RF on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
RF Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.80 | +9.2% |
| Q3 2026 | $2.56 | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.46 | +15% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.41 | +16% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.30 | +19% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.26 | +26% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.14 | +20% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.07 | +11% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.93 | -8.5% |
RF earned $2.56 per share over the past year, up 13% 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 RF on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| 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.
RF Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2B | +3% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +0.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.9B | +5% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.9B | +5.8% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.9B | +7% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.9B | +10% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.8B | +2.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.8B | +0.2% |
RF's revenue has grown year over year for eight quarters in a row: $2B last quarter, up 3% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 40% | +2.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 38% | +0.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 38% | +3.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 37% | +0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 37% | +3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 37% | +1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 35% | +8.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 36% | +10 points |
RF 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.
RF Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$15M | -102% |
| Q2 2026 | $369M | -36% |
| Q1 2026 | $867M | -19% |
| Q4 2025 | -$319M | -$99M |
| Q3 2025 | $861M | -32% |
| Q2 2025 | $573M | +256% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.1B | +169% |
| Q4 2024 | -$220M | -126% |
RF 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.
RF Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -1M shares |
| 1 year | -4.3% | -38M shares |
| 3 years | -8.9% | -84M shares |
| 5 years | -11% | -106M shares |
| Available history | -14% | -143M shares |
RF has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $95M |
| Q2 2026 | $59M |
| Q1 2026 | $401M |
| Q4 2025 | $430M |
| Q3 2025 | $251M |
| Q2 2025 | $144M |
| Q1 2025 | $242M |
| Q4 2024 | $58M |
RF spent $985M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 42% 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.
RF Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q2 2026 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.0x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
RF 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).
RF Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 48.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 38.2 | Neutral |
RF's weekly RSI is 49 (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.
RF PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | RF | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 11x | 13x | 14% below |
| PE % | 54 | 63 | 9 pts below |
RF 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.
RF Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $27.9 | 2.3% above |
| 20 week MA | $29.6 | 3.5% below |
| 50 week MA | $28.5 | 0% below |
| 100 week MA | $26.1 | 9.2% above |
| 200 week MA | $23.0 | 24% above |
RF's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 24% 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 RF on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
RF Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $17.2 | $16.0 | -7.1% |
| 2021 | $16.0 | $21.5 | +35% |
| 2022 | $21.5 | $21.2 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | $21.2 | $19.4 | -8.7% |
| 2024 | $19.4 | $23.7 | +22% |
| 2025 | $23.7 | $27.8 | +17% |
| 2026 YTD | $27.8 | $28.5 | +2.6% |
RF has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's up 2.6% so far in 2026.