MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
SSB
SouthState Corporation
SSB has a slight edge over MS overall, supported by stronger valuation and 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.
SSB Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
SSB'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 SSB.
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.
SSB PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 10x | $104 | — |
| Cheap | 11x | $100 | -3.8% |
| Current | 11x | $104 | — |
| Fair | 13x | $119 | +14% |
| Expensive | 16x | $154 | +48% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SSB 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.
SSB Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for SSB, 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 SSB on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
SSB Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.95 | +5.8% |
| Q3 2026 | $9.40 | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.52 | +42% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.28 | +46% |
| Q4 2025 | $7.87 | +13% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.28 | +12% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.72 | +7.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.34 | +3.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.97 | +7.9% |
SSB's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $9.40 over the past year, up 29% 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'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's operating margin was 32% last quarter, down 1.2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
SSB Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $685.4M | -1.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $672.7M | +1.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $661.7M | +4.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $686.9M | +53% |
| Q3 2025 | $698.8M | +64% |
| Q2 2025 | $664.8M | +56% |
| Q1 2025 | $630.6M | +52% |
| Q4 2024 | $450.3M | +7.3% |
SSB's revenue is growing: $685M last quarter, down 1.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 42% | -3.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 44% | +2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 44% | +25 points |
| Q4 2025 | 46% | +4.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 46% | +2.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 42% | +1.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 19% | -18 points |
| Q4 2024 | 42% | +9.1 points |
SSB 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.
SSB Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $739M | +626% |
| Q2 2026 | $260.3M | +396% |
| Q1 2026 | $283M | +$422M |
| Q4 2025 | $215.5M | -37% |
| Q3 2025 | $101.7M | +$355.9M |
| Q2 2025 | $52.5M | -55% |
| Q1 2025 | -$139.1M | -151% |
| Q4 2024 | $340.9M | +$627.7M |
SSB 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.
SSB Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.3% | -248K shares |
| 1 year | -4.2% | -4.3M shares |
| 3 years | +27% | +21M shares |
| 5 years | +36% | +26M shares |
| Available history | +180% | +62.6M shares |
SSB has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $26.3M |
| Q2 2026 | $98M |
| Q1 2026 | $160.4M |
| Q4 2025 | $181.5M |
| Q3 2025 | $43M |
| Q2 2025 | $97,000 |
| Q1 2025 | $11.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $75,000 |
SSB spent $466M buying back its own shares over the past year, about nine times what it spent 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.
SSB Net Leverage
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).
SSB Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 53.6 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 47.6 | Neutral |
SSB's weekly RSI is 54 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 48 (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.
SSB PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | SSB | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 11x | 13x | 15% below |
| PE % | 24 | 63 | 39 pts below |
SSB 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.
SSB Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $103.2 | 1.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $104.5 | 0.1% below |
| 50 week MA | $100.0 | 4.4% above |
| 100 week MA | $97.1 | 7.5% above |
| 200 week MA | $88.8 | 18% above |
SSB 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 finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 4% so far in 2026.
SSB Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $86.8 | $74.0 | -15% |
| 2021 | $74.0 | $79.0 | +6.8% |
| 2022 | $79.0 | $76.8 | -2.9% |
| 2023 | $76.8 | $84.5 | +10% |
| 2024 | $84.5 | $100.6 | +19% |
| 2025 | $100.6 | $95.8 | -4.8% |
| 2026 YTD | $95.8 | $104.4 | +9% |
SSB has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.