MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over TROW overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
TROW
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
TROW 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.
TROW Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
TROW'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 TROW.
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.
TROW PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 11x | $108 | -0.2% |
| Current | 11x | $108 | — |
| Forward | 11x | $108 | — |
| Fair | 14x | $134 | +24% |
| Expensive | 17x | $164 | +51% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
TROW 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 TROW on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
TROW Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect TROW's earnings, revenue and profitability to hold roughly 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 TROW on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
TROW Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $10.04 | +1.7% |
| Q3 2026 | $9.88 | +7.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.96 | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.32 | +5.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.24 | +1% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.17 | +0.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.94 | +5.5% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.81 | +4.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.15 | +18% |
TROW's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $9.88 over the past year, against $13.27 in late 2021.
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 TROW 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's operating margin was 32% last quarter, down 1.2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
TROW Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2B | +5.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.9B | +5.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.9B | +6% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.9B | +6% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.7B | -0.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.8B | +0.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.8B | +11% |
TROW's revenue has grown year over year for five quarters in a row: $2B last quarter, up 5.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 38% | +4.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 28% | +0.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 37% | +2.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 24% | -6.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 34% | -0.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 28% | -4.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 34% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 31% | +7.6 points |
TROW 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.
TROW Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $470.6M | -14% |
| Q2 2026 | $450.9M | -3.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $762.3M | +38% |
| Q4 2025 | -$85.4M | +$309.5M |
| Q3 2025 | $546M | -0.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $467.7M | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $550.9M | +3% |
| Q4 2024 | -$394.9M | -$155.6M |
TROW 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.
TROW Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.3% | -600K shares |
| 1 year | -2.8% | -6.1M shares |
| 3 years | -5% | -11.2M shares |
| 5 years | -6.8% | -15.5M shares |
| Available history | -10% | -25M shares |
TROW has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $100,000 |
| Q2 2026 | $167.3M |
| Q1 2026 | $333.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $139.1M |
| Q3 2025 | $153.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $113.1M |
| Q1 2025 | $215.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $68.1M |
TROW spent $640M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 16% 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.
TROW 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).
TROW Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 53.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 46.5 | Neutral |
TROW's weekly RSI is 53 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 46 (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.
TROW PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | TROW | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 11x | 13x | 16% below |
| PE % | 17 | 63 | 46 pts below |
TROW 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.
TROW Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $105.1 | 2.9% above |
| 20 week MA | $109.6 | 1.2% below |
| 50 week MA | $104.1 | 4% above |
| 100 week MA | $102.9 | 5.2% above |
| 200 week MA | $106.9 | 1.2% above |
TROW 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 the edge over TROW on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
TROW Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $122.8 | $148.3 | +21% |
| 2021 | $148.3 | $195.3 | +32% |
| 2022 | $195.3 | $111.1 | -43% |
| 2023 | $111.1 | $107.7 | -3.1% |
| 2024 | $107.7 | $115.7 | +7.4% |
| 2025 | $115.7 | $104.8 | -9.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $104.8 | $108.2 | +3.3% |
TROW has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's up 3.3% so far in 2026.