MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over WRLD overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
WRLD
World Acceptance Corporation
WRLD 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.
WRLD Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
WRLD's revenue and profitability are currently stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like WRLD.
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.
WRLD PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 10x | $109 | -20% |
| Forward | 10x | $136 | — |
| Current | 13x | $136 | — |
| Fair | 14x | $151 | +11% |
| Expensive | 23x | $239 | +75% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
WRLD 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.
WRLD Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for WRLD, 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 WRLD on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
WRLD Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.23 | +26% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.50 | +0.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.20 | -45% |
| Q1 2026 | $7.12 | -56% |
| Q4 2025 | $7.81 | -45% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.45 | -29% |
| Q2 2025 | $14.82 | +10% |
| Q1 2025 | $16.36 | +23% |
| Q4 2024 | $14.32 | +24% |
WRLD's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $10.50 over the past year, against $16.36 in early 2025. Its recent earnings include one-off gains.
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 WRLD on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| 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 WRLD on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
WRLD Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $139.2M | +3.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $139.2M | +5.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $175.9M | +6.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $141.3M | +1.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $134.5M | +2.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $132.5M | +2.3% |
| Q1 2025 | $165.3M | +3.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $138.6M | +0.6% |
WRLD's revenue has grown year over year for eight quarters in a row: $139M last quarter, up 3.5% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 8.4% | +9.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 5.7% | +4.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 26% | -7.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | -0.7% | -12 points |
| Q3 2025 | -1.3% | -23 points |
| Q2 2025 | 1.5% | -8.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 33% | +4.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 12% | -2.6 points |
WRLD's operating margin was 8.4% last quarter, up 9.6 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.
WRLD Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $64.7M | +36% |
| Q2 2026 | $63.1M | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $93.5M | +3.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $57.2M | -5.4% |
| Q3 2025 | $47.7M | -9.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $57.1M | +21% |
| Q1 2025 | $90.1M | +9.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $60.4M | +4.8% |
WRLD 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.
WRLD Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.5% | -22.7K shares |
| 1 year | -10% | -534K shares |
| 3 years | -23% | -1.4M shares |
| 5 years | -29% | -1.9M shares |
| Available history | -37% | -2.7M shares |
WRLD has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $25M |
| Q2 2026 | $2.2M |
| Q1 2026 | $37.8M |
| Q4 2025 | $15M |
| Q3 2025 | $66.6M |
| Q2 2025 | $13M |
| Q1 2025 | $32M |
| Q4 2024 | $1M |
WRLD spent $80M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 29% 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 has the edge over WRLD on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
WRLD Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 8.1x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 9.5x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 10.9x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 10.5x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 7.0x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 4.2x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 3.6x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 4.8x | High |
WRLD's net debt is about 8.1 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 WRLD.
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).
WRLD Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 32.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 5.0 | Oversold |
WRLD's weekly RSI is 32 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 5 (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.
WRLD PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | WRLD | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 13x | 13x | 0.3% below |
| PE % | 35 | 63 | 28 pts below |
WRLD 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 WRLD on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
WRLD Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $163.8 | 17% below |
| 20 week MA | $180.8 | 25% below |
| 50 week MA | $160.8 | 15% below |
| 100 week MA | $153.5 | 11% below |
| 200 week MA | $136.8 | 0.4% below |
WRLD is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 0.4% 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 WRLD on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
WRLD Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $85.9 | $103.4 | +20% |
| 2021 | $103.4 | $254.3 | +146% |
| 2022 | $254.3 | $63.5 | -75% |
| 2023 | $63.5 | $130.5 | +106% |
| 2024 | $130.5 | $110.7 | -15% |
| 2025 | $110.7 | $147.4 | +33% |
| 2026 YTD | $147.4 | $136.3 | -7.5% |
WRLD's yearly returns have swung widely, from +146% in 2021 to −75% in 2022. It's down 7.5% so far in 2026.