MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over SYF overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
SYF
Synchrony Financial
SYF's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
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.
SYF Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
SYF'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 SYF.
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 SYF in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
SYF PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 5.2x | $49.53 | -31% |
| Fair | 7x | $67.12 | -6.3% |
| Forward | 7.2x | $71.66 | — |
| Current | 7.5x | $71.66 | — |
| Expensive | 8.9x | $85.17 | +19% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SYF's PE is in its fair range at 7.5x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 7.2x next year's earnings.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
MS has the edge over SYF on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and revenue expectations.
SYF Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect SYF's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue 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 SYF on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
SYF Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $10.02 | +4.7% |
| Q3 2026 | $9.57 | +4.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.75 | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.66 | +32% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.28 | +8.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.17 | +20% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.25 | +14% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.30 | +4.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.55 | +65% |
SYF's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $9.57 over the past year, up 4.4% from the year before, and higher year over year for 11 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 SYF on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| 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 SYF on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
SYF Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.9B | +1.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.7B | +2.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.8B | +3.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.9B | +3.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.8B | +2.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.6B | +2.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.6B | -17% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.7B | +4% |
SYF's revenue grew through 2024 and has held roughly level since: $4.9B last quarter, up 1.4% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 24% | -5.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 25% | -2.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | +0.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 19% | -1.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 29% | +7.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +8.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 21% | -9.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 21% | +8.7 points |
SYF's operating margin was 24% last quarter, down 5.4 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.
SYF Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.5B | -5.3% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.4B | -5.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.2B | -0.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.5B | +4.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.6B | -4.6% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | +3.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.2B | -2.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.4B | +1.6% |
SYF 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.
SYF Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -3.5% | -11.7M shares |
| 1 year | -13% | -47.5M shares |
| 3 years | -23% | -96M shares |
| 5 years | -43% | -243M shares |
| Available history | -52% | -351M shares |
SYF has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.1B |
| Q2 2026 | $878M |
| Q1 2026 | $900M |
| Q4 2025 | $962M |
| Q3 2025 | $870M |
| Q2 2025 | $504M |
| Q1 2025 | $605M |
| Q4 2024 | $101M |
SYF spent $3.8B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 85% 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.
SYF Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 0.2x | Very low |
SYF 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).
SYF Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 44.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 33.4 | Neutral |
SYF's weekly RSI is 44 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 33 (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.
SYF PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | SYF | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 7.5x | 13x | 42% below |
| PE % | 58 | 63 | 5 pts below |
SYF 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 SYF on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
SYF Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $73.2 | 2.1% below |
| 20 week MA | $75.2 | 4.8% below |
| 50 week MA | $75.0 | 4.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $70.1 | 2.2% above |
| 200 week MA | $55.1 | 30% above |
SYF has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 30% 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 the edge over SYF on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
SYF Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $36.3 | $34.0 | -6.4% |
| 2021 | $34.0 | $46.2 | +36% |
| 2022 | $46.2 | $32.8 | -29% |
| 2023 | $32.8 | $38.2 | +17% |
| 2024 | $38.2 | $65.9 | +73% |
| 2025 | $65.9 | $86.0 | +30% |
| 2026 YTD | $86.0 | $71.7 | -17% |
SYF has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's down 17% so far in 2026.