MCO vs. MS: Moody's vs. Morgan Stanley Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Moody's (MCO) with Morgan Stanley (MS) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

MCO

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): 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 Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
1-Year Return	-6.12%	66.17%

Risk

Drawdown

MCO

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
1-Year Volatility	26.45%	25.86%
Beta	1.34	1.22
3-Month Avg. Volume	1.08M	6.16M

Company Profile

Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though MCO is classified under Financial Exchanges & Data while MS falls under Investment Banking & Brokerage.

Company profile comparison for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Profile Item	MCO	MS
Name	Moody's Corporation	Morgan Stanley
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Financial Services
GICS Industry	Capital Markets	Capital Markets
GICS Sub-Industry	Financial Exchanges & Data	Investment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization	78.23 billion USD	337.60 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	October 31, 1994	February 23, 1993
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 19.39 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Moody's (MCO) at 32.15 sits in the richer quartile — MCO needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

32.15

Max: 47.33
MCO: 32.15
Q3: 25.83
Median: 14.56
Q1: 9.03
Min: 0.60

MS

Financial Services industry group

19.39

Max: 47.33
Q3: 25.83
MS: 19.39
Median: 14.56
Q1: 9.03
Min: 0.60

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 4.61 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Moody's (MCO) at 9.94 clears its benchmark range — MCO looks notably rich on sales.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

9.94

MCO: 9.94
Max: 9.45
Q3: 4.84
Median: 2.86
Q1: 1.48
Min: -1.12

MS

Financial Services industry group

4.61

Max: 9.45
Q3: 4.84
MS: 4.61
Median: 2.86
Q1: 1.48
Min: -1.12

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 3.23 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Moody's (MCO) at 26.13 prices above its benchmark range — MCO looks rich relative to book.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

26.13

MCO: 26.13
Max: 7.24
Q3: 3.50
Median: 1.63
Q1: 0.92
Min: 0.00

MS

Financial Services industry group

3.23

Max: 7.24
Q3: 3.50
MS: 3.23
Median: 1.63
Q1: 0.92
Min: 0.00

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	32.15	19.39
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	9.94	4.61
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	26.13	3.23
Free Cash Flow Yield	--	--

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Moody's (MCO) at 71.36% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Morgan Stanley (MS) at 16.39%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

71.36%

MCO: 71.36%
Max: 42.17%
Q3: 21.40%
Median: 12.18%
Q1: 5.01%
Min: -18.74%

MS

Financial Services industry group

16.39%

Max: 42.17%
Q3: 21.40%
MS: 16.39%
Median: 12.18%
Q1: 5.01%
Min: -18.74%

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Moody's (MCO) at 31.69% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Morgan Stanley (MS) at 24.75%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

31.69%

Max: 66.55%
MCO: 31.69%
Q3: 30.41%
Median: 16.58%
Q1: 4.49%
Min: -26.88%

MS

Financial Services industry group

24.75%

Max: 66.55%
Q3: 30.41%
MS: 24.75%
Median: 16.58%
Q1: 4.49%
Min: -26.88%

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Both Moody's (MCO) at 45.74% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 40.62% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

45.74%

Max: 95.95%
Q3: 50.01%
MCO: 45.74%
Median: 27.45%
Q1: 12.28%
Min: -36.26%

MS

Financial Services industry group

40.62%

Max: 95.95%
Q3: 50.01%
MS: 40.62%
Median: 27.45%
Q1: 12.28%
Min: -36.26%

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
Return on Equity (TTM)	71.36%	16.39%
Return on Assets (TTM)	14.82%	1.27%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	31.69%	24.75%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	45.74%	40.62%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
1-Year Revenue Growth	8.89%	14.48%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	12.17%	9.52%

EPS Growth

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
1-Year EPS Growth	21.40%	28.43%
3-Year EPS CAGR	22.48%	18.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Moody's (MCO) 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-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Moody's (MCO) 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 at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Moody's (MCO) at 0.92% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 1.87% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

0.92%

Max: 18.40%
Q3: 7.73%
Median: 1.93%
MCO: 0.92%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MS

Financial Services industry group

1.87%

Max: 18.40%
Q3: 7.73%
Median: 1.93%
MS: 1.87%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Moody's (MCO) at 27.62% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 35.55% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

MCO

Financial Services industry group

27.62%

Max: 228.57%
Q3: 95.72%
MCO: 27.62%
Median: 25.56%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MS

Financial Services industry group

35.55%

Max: 228.57%
Q3: 95.72%
MS: 35.55%
Median: 25.56%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Moody's (MCO) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Moody's (MCO) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MCO	MS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.92%	1.87%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	27.62%	35.55%