MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
SMBK
SmartFinancial, Inc.
SMBK has a slight edge over MS overall, supported by stronger fundamentals.
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.
SMBK Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
SMBK's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like SMBK.
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.
SMBK PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 9.4x | $34.51 | -28% |
| Fair | 12x | $45.28 | -5.4% |
| Forward | 12x | $47.88 | — |
| Current | 13x | $47.88 | — |
| Expensive | 15x | $54.93 | +15% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SMBK 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.
SMBK Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for SMBK, with profitability improving.
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 SMBK on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
SMBK Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $4.01 | +9% |
| Q3 2026 | $3.68 | +34% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.39 | +37% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.12 | +38% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.98 | +39% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.74 | +41% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.47 | +63% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.26 | +45% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.14 | +27% |
SMBK's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $3.68 over the past year, up 34% from the year before, and higher year over year for eight quarters in a row.
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 SMBK 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.
SMBK Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $57.5M | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $56M | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $53.8M | +15% |
| Q4 2025 | $53.3M | +14% |
| Q3 2025 | $51.1M | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $49.2M | +22% |
| Q1 2025 | $46.8M | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $46.8M | +20% |
SMBK's revenue has grown year over year for 10 quarters in a row: $58M last quarter, up 13% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 36% | +2.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 37% | +7.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 31% | +2.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 31% | +4.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +8.9 points |
| Q2 2025 | 29% | +3.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 29% | -0.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | 26% | +6.4 points |
SMBK 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.
SMBK Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$13.1M | -179% |
| Q2 2026 | $22.5M | +70% |
| Q1 2026 | $10.2M | -24% |
| Q4 2025 | $16.2M | +5.4% |
| Q3 2025 | $16.6M | +46% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.2M | -14% |
| Q1 2025 | $13.4M | +221% |
| Q4 2024 | $15.4M | +62% |
SMBK 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 SMBK on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
SMBK Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.2% | +32.8K shares |
| 1 year | +0.5% | +85.7K shares |
| 3 years | +0.4% | +75.9K shares |
| 5 years | +8.3% | +1.3M shares |
| Available history | +21% | +2.9M shares |
SMBK has 17M diluted shares, up 0.5% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | $1,000 |
| Q4 2021 | — |
| Q3 2021 | — |
| Q2 2021 | $1,000 |
| Q1 2021 | $1.2M |
| Q4 2020 | $2.2M |
| Q3 2020 | — |
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.
SMBK Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -4.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -4.9x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -4.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -5.3x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -8.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -6.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -7.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -6.2x | Net Cash |
SMBK 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).
SMBK Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 49.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 9.2 | Oversold |
SMBK's weekly RSI is 50 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 9 (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.
SMBK PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | SMBK | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 13x | 13x | 0.1% below |
| PE % | 58 | 63 | 5 pts below |
SMBK 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.
SMBK Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $49.5 | 3.2% below |
| 20 week MA | $50.1 | 4.5% below |
| 50 week MA | $44.4 | 7.8% above |
| 100 week MA | $39.0 | 23% above |
| 200 week MA | $31.8 | 51% above |
SMBK has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8- and 20-week averages, but 51% 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.
SMBK Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $23.7 | $18.0 | -24% |
| 2021 | $18.0 | $27.8 | +54% |
| 2022 | $27.8 | $27.8 | 0% |
| 2023 | $27.8 | $24.5 | -12% |
| 2024 | $24.5 | $31.1 | +27% |
| 2025 | $31.1 | $37.8 | +22% |
| 2026 YTD | $37.8 | $47.9 | +27% |
SMBK has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.