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MS vs. MSCI: Morgan Stanley vs. MSCI Stock Comparison

How do Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
Profile ItemMSMSCI
NameMorgan Stanley Common StockMSCI Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageFinancial Exchanges & Data
Market Capitalization283.60 billion USD46.60 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 23, 1993November 15, 2007
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MS
MSCI
GSPC
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI), 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 Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
Total Return (1Y)19.44%12.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.69%9.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.38%1.00%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.73%29.82%
Beta (5Y)1.211.17
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.38%-43.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.37M590.34K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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MS and MSCI 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 Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.510.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.730.40

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Morgan Stanley (MS) earns 18.04% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; MSCI (MSCI) has no ROE this period.

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%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

--

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
MSCI
--
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): MSCI does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; MS is benchmarked against the Financial Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

MSCI (MSCI) at 40.31% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

40.31%

Max
62.84%
MSCI
40.31%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

MSCI (MSCI) at 56.41% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Morgan Stanley (MS) at 39.00%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

56.41%

Max
107.33%
MSCI
56.41%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
ROE (TTM)18.04%--
ROA (TTM)1.35%21.75%
Net Margin (TTM)25.63%40.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)39.00%56.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% and MSCI (MSCI) at 9.75% 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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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% and MSCI (MSCI) at 11.67% 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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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
Revenue Growth (YoY)14.48%9.75%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.52%11.71%
EPS Growth (YoY)28.43%11.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)18.41%13.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Morgan Stanley (MS) in Financial Services and MSCI (MSCI) 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: Morgan Stanley (MS) in Financial Services and MSCI (MSCI) 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 Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.40% and MSCI (MSCI) at 1.21% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

1.21%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
MSCI
1.21%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 32.91% and MSCI (MSCI) at 42.04% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

42.04%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
MSCI
42.04%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.40%1.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)32.91%42.04%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.39 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while MSCI (MSCI) at 33.90 sits in the richer quartile — MSCI needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

33.90

Max
45.85
MSCI
33.90
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 3.55 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while MSCI (MSCI) at 13.58 clears its benchmark range — MSCI looks notably rich on sales.

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

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

13.58

MSCI
13.58
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

MSCI (MSCI) reports a negative P/B ratio of -15.24, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Morgan Stanley (MS) reports 2.65, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

-15.24

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
MSCI
-15.24
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and MSCI (MSCI)
MetricMSMSCI
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.3933.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.5513.58
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.65-15.24
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----