MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over ROOT overall, supported by lower modeled downside and stronger fundamentals.
ROOT
Root, Inc.
ROOT 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.
ROOT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
ROOT'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 ROOT.
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.
ROOT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 9.1x | $43.63 | — |
| Cheap | 15x | $73.79 | +69% |
| Fair | 19x | $89.09 | +104% |
| Forward | 19x | $43.63 | — |
| Expensive | 40x | $189 | +334% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ROOT 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 ROOT on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and revenue expectations.
ROOT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect ROOT's earnings to grow, with its revenue and 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 has the edge over ROOT on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
ROOT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.33 | -51% |
| Q3 2026 | $4.79 | +40% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.58 | -30% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.38 | +1.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.36 | +29% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.43 | +$4.67 |
| Q2 2025 | $5.13 | +$10.88 |
| Q1 2025 | $3.32 | +$11.10 |
| Q4 2024 | $1.83 | +$12.07 |
ROOT earned $4.79 per share over the past year, up 40% 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'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 ROOT on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
ROOT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $381.3M | -1.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $389.2M | +1.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $393.5M | +13% |
| Q4 2025 | $397M | +22% |
| Q3 2025 | $387.8M | +27% |
| Q2 2025 | $382.9M | +32% |
| Q1 2025 | $349.4M | +37% |
| Q4 2024 | $326.7M | +68% |
ROOT's revenue is growing: $381M last quarter, down 1.7% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 4.8% | +4.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 8.9% | +1.8 points |
| Q1 2026 | 10% | +3.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 2.6% | -8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 0.1% | -11 points |
| Q2 2025 | 7.1% | +5.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 6.8% | +4.7 points |
| Q4 2024 | 11% | +17 points |
ROOT's operating margin was 4.8% last quarter, up 4.7 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.
ROOT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $57.5M | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.3M | -65% |
| Q4 2025 | $70.1M | +1.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $57.6M | +17% |
| Q2 2025 | $52M | -17% |
| Q1 2025 | $26.8M | +87% |
| Q4 2024 | $69.2M | +50% |
| Q3 2024 | $49.4M | +238% |
ROOT 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 ROOT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
ROOT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.2% | -200K shares |
| 1 year | +9.1% | +1.4M shares |
| 3 years | +16% | +2.3M shares |
| 5 years | +21% | +2.9M shares |
| Available history | +48% | +5.4M shares |
ROOT has 17M diluted shares, up 9.1% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $15.5M |
| Q4 2021 | — |
| Q3 2021 | — |
| Q4 2020 | — |
| Q2 2020 | — |
| Q1 2020 | — |
| Q4 2019 | — |
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.
ROOT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -3.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -3.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -4.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -6.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -4.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -3.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -3.7x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -4.3x | Net Cash |
ROOT 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).
ROOT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 37.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 17.5 | Oversold |
ROOT's weekly RSI is 37 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 17 (oversold).
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.
ROOT PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | ROOT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 9.1x | 13x | 30% below |
| PE % | 1 | 61 | 60 pts below |
ROOT 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 has the edge over ROOT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
ROOT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $48.1 | 9.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $52.9 | 18% below |
| 50 week MA | $56.4 | 23% below |
| 100 week MA | $82.9 | 47% below |
| 200 week MA | $56.1 | 22% below |
ROOT is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 22% below 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 ROOT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
ROOT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $431.5 | $309.1 | -28% |
| 2021 | $309.1 | $58.3 | -81% |
| 2022 | $58.3 | $4.64 | -92% |
| 2023 | $4.64 | $10.5 | +126% |
| 2024 | $10.5 | $73.0 | +597% |
| 2025 | $73.0 | $73.2 | +0.3% |
| 2026 YTD | $73.2 | $43.6 | -40% |
ROOT's yearly returns have swung widely, from +597% in 2024 to −92% in 2022. It's down 40% so far in 2026.