MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over SLF overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
SLF
Sun Life Financial Inc.
SLF 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.
SLF Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
SLF'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 SLF.
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.
SLF PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 11x | $44.53 | -39% |
| Fair | 14x | $57.21 | -22% |
| Expensive | 16x | $66.78 | -8.4% |
| Current | 18x | $72.88 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SLF 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 SLF on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
SLF Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Weakening | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for SLF, but weaker profitability.
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 SLF on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
SLF Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $4.14 | +4.8% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.75 | -2.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.32 | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.70 | -14% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.95 | +6.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.85 | +3.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.68 | -0.3% |
| Q3 2024 | $4.30 | +9.4% |
SLF earned $4.14 per share over the past year, up 4.8% 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 SLF on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
SLF Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $9.8B | +51% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.2B | -22% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.3B | +172% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.7B | -19% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.5B | +3.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $8B | +63% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.3B | -81% |
| Q3 2024 | $10.8B | +548% |
SLF's revenue is recovering but still below its 2023 peak: $9.8B last quarter, up 51% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 9.8% | -0.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 9.5% | -1.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 13% | -5.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 12% | +1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 11% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 11% | -6.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 18% | +14 points |
| Q3 2024 | 11% | -39 points |
SLF's operating margin was 9.8% last quarter, down 0.9 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.
SLF Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $63.3M | -88% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.9B | +$3.2B |
| Q4 2025 | $3.7B | +823% |
| Q3 2025 | $804.3M | -64% |
| Q2 2025 | $539.9M | -54% |
| Q1 2025 | -$290.4M | -187% |
| Q4 2024 | $402.1M | -87% |
| Q3 2024 | $2.3B | +81% |
SLF 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.
SLF Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2.4% | -13.6M shares |
| 1 year | -1.8% | -10M shares |
| 3 years | -5.3% | -31M shares |
| 5 years | -5.3% | -31M shares |
| Available history | -6.1% | -36M shares |
SLF has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $58.4M |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | $275.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $279.1M |
| Q2 2025 | $279.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $365.6M |
| Q4 2024 | $175.1M |
| Q3 2024 | $102.6M |
SLF spent $613M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 34% 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.
SLF Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q3 2024 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
SLF 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).
SLF Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 26.3 | Neutral |
SLF's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 26 (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 SLF on valuation relative to its sector.
SLF PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | SLF | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 18x | 13x | 35% above |
| PE % | 93 | 63 | 30 pts above |
SLF is trading at 18x earnings, a 35% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x, though its earnings don't support one.
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.
SLF Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $77.4 | 5.8% below |
| 20 week MA | $79.4 | 8.2% below |
| 50 week MA | $72.0 | 1.2% above |
| 100 week MA | $65.8 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $58.6 | 24% above |
SLF has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8- and 20-week averages, but 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 finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 4% so far in 2026.
SLF Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $45.5 | $43.8 | -3.8% |
| 2021 | $43.8 | $54.6 | +25% |
| 2022 | $54.6 | $46.5 | -15% |
| 2023 | $46.5 | $51.9 | +12% |
| 2024 | $51.9 | $59.5 | +15% |
| 2025 | $59.5 | $62.6 | +5.3% |
| 2026 YTD | $62.6 | $72.9 | +16% |
SLF has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.