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BRK.B vs. MS: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Morgan Stanley Stock Comparison

How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) 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

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but BRK.B is classified in Financial Services while MS is classified in Capital Markets.

Company profile comparison for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Profile ItemBRK.BMS
NameBerkshire Hathaway Inc. Class BMorgan Stanley
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryFinancial ServicesCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-Sector HoldingsInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization1,078.98 billion USD341.69 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMay 9, 1996February 23, 1993
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRK.B
MS
GSPC
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) 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 Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
Total Return (1Y)5.18%49.68%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)12.03%39.74%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)11.85%19.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRK.B
MS
GSPC
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) 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 Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)14.62%27.83%
Beta (5Y)0.601.22
Max Drawdown (5Y)-26.58%-32.38%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.82M5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BRK.B and MS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.081.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.122.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 12.12% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 17.97% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

12.12%

Max
48.53%
Q3
22.22%
Median
12.75%
BRK.B
12.12%
Q1
4.09%
Min
-22.61%

MS

Financial Services industry group

17.97%

Max
48.53%
Q3
22.22%
MS
17.97%
Median
12.75%
Q1
4.09%
Min
-22.61%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 22.30% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.90% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

22.30%

Max
66.61%
Q3
29.41%
BRK.B
22.30%
Median
16.08%
Q1
4.44%
Min
-30.54%

MS

Financial Services industry group

25.90%

Max
66.61%
Q3
29.41%
MS
25.90%
Median
16.08%
Q1
4.44%
Min
-30.54%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 32.56% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 41.57% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

32.56%

Max
96.23%
Q3
53.97%
BRK.B
32.56%
Median
28.94%
Q1
11.79%
Min
-46.79%

MS

Financial Services industry group

41.57%

Max
96.23%
Q3
53.97%
MS
41.57%
Median
28.94%
Q1
11.79%
Min
-46.79%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
ROE (TTM)12.12%17.97%
ROA (TTM)6.01%1.35%
Net Margin (TTM)22.30%25.90%
Operating Margin (TTM)32.56%41.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at -3.23% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at -24.78% 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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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
Revenue Growth (YoY)-3.23%14.48%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)20.59%9.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)-24.78%28.43%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--18.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) in Financial Services 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: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) in Financial Services 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 Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Morgan Stanley (MS) reports a yield of 1.90%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
17.41%
Q3
7.19%
Median
1.49%
BRK.B
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MS

Financial Services industry group

1.90%

Max
17.41%
Q3
7.19%
MS
1.90%
Median
1.49%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Morgan Stanley (MS) reports a payout of 32.31%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
223.44%
Q3
89.87%
Median
25.19%
BRK.B
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MS

Financial Services industry group

32.31%

Max
223.44%
Q3
89.87%
MS
32.31%
Median
25.19%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.90%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%32.31%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 12.75 and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 17.54 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

12.75

Max
50.93
Q3
26.65
Median
16.33
BRK.B
12.75
Q1
10.01
Min
2.15

MS

Financial Services industry group

17.54

Max
50.93
Q3
26.65
MS
17.54
Median
16.33
Q1
10.01
Min
2.15
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 2.80 and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 4.39 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

2.80

Max
9.98
Q3
4.93
Median
2.98
BRK.B
2.80
Q1
1.55
Min
-1.13

MS

Financial Services industry group

4.39

Max
9.98
Q3
4.93
MS
4.39
Median
2.98
Q1
1.55
Min
-1.13
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 0.00 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Morgan Stanley (MS) at 3.21 is valued near its industry’s middle — BRK.B is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

BRK.B

Financial Services industry group

0.00

Max
7.91
Q3
3.71
Median
1.60
Q1
0.85
BRK.B
0.00
Min
-0.34

MS

Financial Services industry group

3.21

Max
7.91
Q3
3.71
MS
3.21
Median
1.60
Q1
0.85
Min
-0.34
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricBRK.BMS
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.7517.54
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.804.39
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.003.21
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----