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BAC vs. MS: Bank of America vs. Morgan Stanley Stock Comparison

How do Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS) share the Financials sector but sit in different industry groups — BAC in Banks and MS in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Profile ItemBACMS
NameBank of America CorporationMorgan Stanley Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksFinancial Services
GICS IndustryBanksCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization341.01 billion USD283.60 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973February 23, 1993
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BAC
MS
GSPC
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
Total Return (1Y)-2.73%19.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)25.52%40.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)4.08%17.38%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BAC
MS
GSPC
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)22.49%29.73%
Beta (5Y)1.181.21
Max Drawdown (5Y)-46.64%-32.38%
Avg. Volume (3M)37.08M5.37M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BAC and MS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.310.51
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.410.73

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 10.73% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 18.04% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BAC

Banks industry group

10.73%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
BAC
10.73%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%

MS

Financial Services industry group

18.04%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
MS
18.04%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 28.06% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

BAC

Banks industry group

28.06%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
BAC
28.06%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%

MS

Financial Services industry group

25.63%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
MS
25.63%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) reports operating margin of 39.00%; Bank of America (BAC) doesn’t report a comparable line — in Banks, funding costs sit inside the core business rather than below an operating line, so profitability is better judged on net margin or ROE.

BAC

Banks industry group

--

BAC
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

MS

Financial Services industry group

39.00%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
MS
39.00%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): BAC’s operating margin is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for MS only.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
ROE (TTM)10.73%18.04%
ROA (TTM)0.94%1.35%
Net Margin (TTM)28.06%25.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)--39.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 6.84% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 18.69% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
Revenue Growth (YoY)6.84%14.48%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.00%9.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)18.69%28.43%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)6.10%18.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Bank of America (BAC) in Banks and Morgan Stanley (MS) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Bank of America (BAC) in Banks and Morgan Stanley (MS) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 2.33% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.40% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

BAC

Banks industry group

2.33%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
BAC
2.33%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%

MS

Financial Services industry group

2.40%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
MS
2.40%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 27.62% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 32.91% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

BAC

Banks industry group

27.62%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
BAC
27.62%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%

MS

Financial Services industry group

32.91%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
MS
32.91%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.33%2.40%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)27.62%32.91%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Bank of America (BAC) at 11.79 and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.39 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BAC

Banks industry group

11.79

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
BAC
11.79
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49

MS

Financial Services industry group

14.39

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
MS
14.39
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) shows P/S ratio of 3.55; for Bank of America (BAC) the multiple is skipped — in Banks, income is dominated by interest spread rather than a conventional revenue line, so pricing per dollar of sales loses meaning and book- or earnings-based multiples carry the comparison.

BAC

Banks industry group

--

BAC
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

MS

Financial Services industry group

3.55

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
MS
3.55
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): BAC’s P/S ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for MS only.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Bank of America (BAC) at 1.26 and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.65 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

BAC

Banks industry group

1.26

Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
BAC
1.26
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59

MS

Financial Services industry group

2.65

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
MS
2.65
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Bank of America (BAC) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBACMS
P/E Ratio (TTM)11.7914.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)--3.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.262.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----