MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over STC overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
STC
Stewart Information Services Corporation
STC 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.
STC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
STC's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like STC.
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 has the edge over STC in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
STC PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 6.2x | $24.64 | -41% |
| Forward | 7.3x | $41.62 | — |
| Current | 10x | $41.62 | — |
| Fair | 12x | $48.46 | +16% |
| Expensive | 32x | $128 | +207% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
STC's PE is in its fair range at 10x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 7.3x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
MS has the edge over STC on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
STC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for STC, with profitability holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
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's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $12.60 over the past year, up 29% from the year before, and higher year over year for 10 quarters in a row.
STC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $5.69 | +42% |
| Q3 2026 | $4.00 | +11% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.57 | +46% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.49 | +72% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.05 | +55% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.60 | +70% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.12 | +100% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.61 | +72% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.61 | +135% |
STC has the edge over MS on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
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 STC on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
STC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $900.7M | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $899.2M | +25% |
| Q1 2026 | $781.3M | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $790.6M | +19% |
| Q3 2025 | $796.9M | +19% |
| Q2 2025 | $722.2M | +20% |
| Q1 2025 | $612M | +10% |
| Q4 2024 | $665.9M | +14% |
STC has the edge over MS on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.1% | -2.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 6.1% | -0.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 3% | +2.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 6.5% | +1.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 7.7% | +1.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 6.5% | +1.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 1% | -0.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 5.3% | +2.1 points |
STC's operating margin was 5.1% last quarter, down 2.6 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.
STC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $25.6M | -65% |
| Q2 2026 | $35M | -9.4% |
| Q1 2026 | -$20.9M | +$21.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $62.3M | +12% |
| Q3 2025 | $73.6M | +9.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $38.7M | +224% |
| Q1 2025 | -$42.2M | -$2.4M |
| Q4 2024 | $55.6M | +78% |
STC 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 STC on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
STC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +123K shares |
| 1 year | +8.7% | +2.5M shares |
| 3 years | +12% | +3.3M shares |
| 5 years | +14% | +3.7M shares |
| Available history | +30% | +7.2M shares |
STC has 31M diluted shares, up 8.7% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $107,000 |
| Q2 2026 | $93,000 |
| Q1 2026 | $5.2M |
| Q4 2025 | $322,000 |
| Q3 2025 | $91,000 |
| Q2 2025 | $109,000 |
| Q1 2025 | $3.4M |
| Q4 2024 | $226,000 |
STC spent $6M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 52% 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.
STC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 1.3x | Healthy |
STC 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).
STC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 25.8 | Oversold |
| Stochastic | 7.5 | Oversold |
STC's weekly RSI is 26 (oversold) and its Stochastic is 8 (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.
STC PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | STC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 10x | 13x | 20% below |
| PE % | 41 | 63 | 22 pts below |
STC 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 STC on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
STC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $48.9 | 15% below |
| 20 week MA | $60.4 | 31% below |
| 50 week MA | $64.7 | 36% below |
| 100 week MA | $66.3 | 37% below |
| 200 week MA | $61.0 | 32% below |
STC is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 32% 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 STC on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
STC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $41.4 | $49.0 | +18% |
| 2021 | $49.0 | $78.1 | +59% |
| 2022 | $78.1 | $42.3 | -46% |
| 2023 | $42.3 | $58.8 | +39% |
| 2024 | $58.8 | $69.1 | +18% |
| 2025 | $69.1 | $71.1 | +2.9% |
| 2026 YTD | $71.1 | $41.6 | -41% |
STC is down 41% so far in 2026, after finishing higher in five of the previous six years.