MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has a slight edge over WFC overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
WFC
Wells Fargo & Company
WFC 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.
WFC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
WFC'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 WFC.
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.
WFC PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 10x | $73.84 | -14% |
| Forward | 11x | $85.76 | — |
| Fair | 12x | $87.32 | +1.8% |
| Current | 12x | $85.76 | — |
| Expensive | 15x | $108 | +26% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
WFC 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.
WFC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for WFC, 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 WFC on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
WFC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $7.81 | +10% |
| Q3 2026 | $7.08 | +17% |
| Q2 2026 | $6.87 | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.47 | +16% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.26 | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $6.07 | +26% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.83 | +19% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.56 | +16% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.37 | +11% |
WFC's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $7.08 over the past year, up 17% from the year before, and higher year over year for 13 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 WFC 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.
WFC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $21.9B | +2% |
| Q2 2026 | $22.6B | +8.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $21.4B | +6.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $21.3B | +4.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $21.4B | +5.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $20.8B | +0.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.1B | -3.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $20.4B | -0.5% |
WFC's revenue has grown year over year for six quarters in a row: $21.9B last quarter, up 2% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | +0.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 36% | +4.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 28% | +1.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 31% | +4.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 32% | +1.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 31% | +1.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 26% | -0.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 26% | +9.8 points |
WFC 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.
WFC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $8.9B | +$9.7B |
| Q2 2026 | $6.8B | +$18B |
| Q1 2026 | $9.1B | +$20.2B |
| Q4 2025 | $4.1B | -54% |
| Q3 2025 | -$869M | -121% |
| Q2 2025 | -$11.2B | -647% |
| Q1 2025 | -$11B | +$1.1B |
| Q4 2024 | $8.9B | -51% |
WFC 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.
WFC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.8% | -23.1M shares |
| 1 year | -5.3% | -172M shares |
| 3 years | -17% | -629M shares |
| 5 years | -25% | -1B shares |
| Available history | -31% | -1.4B shares |
WFC has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.5B |
| Q2 2026 | $3B |
| Q1 2026 | $4B |
| Q4 2025 | $5B |
| Q3 2025 | $6B |
| Q2 2025 | $3B |
| Q1 2025 | $3.5B |
| Q4 2024 | $4B |
WFC spent $14.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 12% 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.
WFC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.1x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 4.7x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 5.5x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 4.7x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 11.8x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 10.7x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 9.1x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 7.9x | High |
WFC 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).
WFC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 52.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 45.5 | Neutral |
WFC'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.
WFC PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | WFC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 13x | 7% below |
| PE % | 46 | 63 | 17 pts below |
WFC 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.
WFC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $83.3 | 3% above |
| 20 week MA | $85.6 | 0.2% above |
| 50 week MA | $84.9 | 1.1% above |
| 100 week MA | $81.0 | 5.9% above |
| 200 week MA | $65.9 | 30% above |
WFC 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 WFC on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
WFC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $53.9 | $29.8 | -45% |
| 2021 | $29.8 | $48.4 | +62% |
| 2022 | $48.4 | $41.0 | -15% |
| 2023 | $41.0 | $49.2 | +20% |
| 2024 | $49.2 | $71.1 | +44% |
| 2025 | $71.1 | $95.3 | +34% |
| 2026 YTD | $95.3 | $85.8 | -10% |
WFC has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's down 10% so far in 2026.