MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over WHF overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
WHF
WhiteHorse Finance, Inc.
WHF 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.
WHF Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
WHF's profitability is currently strong, but its revenue is under pressure. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like WHF.
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.
WHF PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 7.5x | $8.31 | — |
| Cheap | 8.9x | $9.91 | +19% |
| Forward | 9.3x | $8.31 | — |
| Fair | 14x | $15.50 | +87% |
| Expensive | 21x | $23.35 | +181% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
WHF 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 WHF on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
WHF Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Decline | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect WHF's earnings and profitability to decline, 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 WHF on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
WHF Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $0.90 | -19% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.11 | +158% |
| Q2 2026 | $0.79 | +427% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.41 | +5.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.62 | +32% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.43 | -4.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.15 | -85% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.39 | -52% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.47 | -47% |
WHF's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $1.11 over the past year, against $2.97 in early 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 stronger quarterly revenue trend. Revenue is up 12% for MS versus down 13% for WHF.
| 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.
WHF Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2022 | $13.7M | -13% |
| Q1 2022 | $11.8M | -10% |
| Q4 2021 | $9.6M | -25% |
| Q3 2021 | $13.4M | -47% |
| Q2 2021 | $15.8M | -42% |
| Q4 2020 | $12.8M | -3.5% |
WHF's revenue has slid since its 2020 peak: $14M last quarter, down 13% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2022 | 55% | -14 points |
| Q1 2022 | 50% | -13 points |
| Q4 2021 | 34% | -32 points |
| Q3 2021 | 63% | -23 points |
| Q2 2021 | 69% | -16 points |
| Q1 2021 | 64% | N/A |
| Q4 2020 | 66% | -1 points |
| Q3 2020 | 86% | N/A |
WHF's operating margin was 55% last quarter, down 14 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.
WHF Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $422K | -99% |
| Q2 2026 | -$13M | -160% |
| Q1 2026 | $28.2M | +$35.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $959K | -95% |
| Q3 2025 | $61.6M | +323% |
| Q2 2025 | $21.7M | -48% |
| Q1 2025 | -$7M | -538% |
| Q4 2024 | $21.1M | +33% |
WHF 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.
WHF Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -94.9K shares |
| 1 year | -7.6% | -1.8M shares |
| 3 years | -7.6% | -1.8M shares |
| 5 years | +3% | +625K shares |
| Available history | +4.5% | +930K shares |
WHF has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | $2.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $3M |
| Q2 2022 | $74,000 |
| Q1 2022 | $50,000 |
| Q4 2021 | — |
| Q3 2021 | — |
| Q2 2021 | — |
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.
WHF Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2022 | 16.4x | High |
| Q1 2022 | 16.2x | High |
| Q4 2021 | 14.9x | High |
| Q3 2021 | 10.2x | High |
| Q2 2021 | 7.1x | High |
| Q1 2021 | 5.3x | High |
| Q4 2020 | 11.6x | High |
| Q3 2020 | 8.6x | High |
WHF's net debt is about 16 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 7.0 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like WHF.
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).
WHF Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 69.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 89.8 | Overbought |
WHF's weekly RSI is 69 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 90 (overbought).
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.
WHF PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | WHF | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 7.5x | 13x | 42% below |
| PE % | 10 | 63 | 53 pts below |
WHF 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.
WHF Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $7.65 | 8.6% above |
| 20 week MA | $7.17 | 16% above |
| 50 week MA | $7.08 | 17% above |
| 100 week MA | $8.00 | 3.9% above |
| 200 week MA | $10.2 | 19% below |
WHF 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.
WHF Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $13.6 | $13.3 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | $13.3 | $15.5 | +17% |
| 2022 | $15.5 | $12.6 | -19% |
| 2023 | $12.6 | $12.3 | -2.2% |
| 2024 | $12.3 | $9.75 | -21% |
| 2025 | $9.75 | $6.98 | -28% |
| 2026 YTD | $6.98 | $8.31 | +19% |
WHF has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.