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MS vs. NTRS: Morgan Stanley vs. Northern Trust Stock Comparison

How do Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS) 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 Northern Trust (NTRS) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though MS is classified under Investment Banking & Brokerage while NTRS falls under Asset Management & Custody Banks.

Company profile comparison for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
Profile ItemMSNTRS
NameMorgan Stanley Common StockNorthern Trust Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageAsset Management & Custody Banks
Market Capitalization283.60 billion USD31.29 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 23, 1993March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MS
NTRS
GSPC
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS), 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 Northern Trust (NTRS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
Total Return (1Y)19.44%39.45%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.69%40.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.38%11.05%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.73%24.90%
Beta (5Y)1.211.18
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.38%-50.03%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.37M1.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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MS and NTRS 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 Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.511.41
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.732.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 18.04% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 18.44% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

18.44%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
NTRS
18.44%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 26.00% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

26.00%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
NTRS
26.00%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 39.00% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 34.80% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

34.80%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
NTRS
34.80%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
ROE (TTM)18.04%18.44%
ROA (TTM)1.35%1.44%
Net Margin (TTM)25.63%26.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)39.00%34.80%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Northern Trust (NTRS) at -2.46% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at -10.54% 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. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
Revenue Growth (YoY)14.48%-2.46%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.52%6.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)28.43%-10.54%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)18.41%12.49%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.40% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 1.91% 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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

1.91%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
NTRS
1.91%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): 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 Northern Trust (NTRS) at 25.73% 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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

25.73%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
NTRS
25.73%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.40%1.91%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)32.91%25.73%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.39 and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 13.55 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

13.55

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
NTRS
13.55
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 3.55 and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 3.35 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

3.35

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
NTRS
3.35
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.65 and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 2.51 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

2.51

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
NTRS
2.51
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricMSNTRS
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.3913.55
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.553.35
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.652.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----