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C vs. MS: Citigroup vs. Morgan Stanley Stock Comparison

How do Citigroup (C) 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

Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS) share the Financials sector but sit in different industry groups — C in Banks and MS in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Profile ItemCMS
NameCitigroup Inc.Morgan Stanley Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksFinancial Services
GICS IndustryBanksCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization197.05 billion USD283.60 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 3, 1977February 23, 1993
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

C
MS
GSPC
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Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
Total Return (1Y)23.42%19.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)47.29%40.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.24%17.38%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

C
MS
GSPC
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Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.96%29.73%
Beta (5Y)1.171.21
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.60%-32.38%
Avg. Volume (3M)9.35M5.37M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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C 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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.640.51
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.900.73

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 18.04% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Citigroup (C) at 9.35% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

C

Banks industry group

9.35%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
C
9.35%
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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Citigroup (C) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Citigroup (C) at 23.21% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

C

Banks industry group

23.21%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
C
23.21%
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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Citigroup (C) 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%; Citigroup (C) 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.

C

Banks industry group

--

C
--
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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Citigroup (C) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): C’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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
ROE (TTM)9.35%18.04%
ROA (TTM)0.71%1.35%
Net Margin (TTM)23.21%25.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)--39.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Citigroup (C) at 5.63% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Citigroup (C) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Citigroup (C) at 17.68% 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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Citigroup (C) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.63%14.48%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.59%9.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)17.68%28.43%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.05%18.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Citigroup (C) 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: Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Citigroup (C) at 2.09% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.40% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

C

Banks industry group

2.09%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
C
2.09%
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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Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) at 24.07% 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.

C

Banks industry group

24.07%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
C
24.07%
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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Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.09%2.40%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)24.07%32.91%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Citigroup (C) at 11.60 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.

C

Banks industry group

11.60

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
C
11.60
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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Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) 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.

C

Banks industry group

--

C
--
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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Citigroup (C) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): C’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)

Citigroup (C) at 1.03 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.65 is valued near its industry’s middle — C is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

C

Banks industry group

1.03

Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
C
1.03
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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Citigroup (C) 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 Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
MetricCMS
P/E Ratio (TTM)11.6014.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)--3.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.032.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----