MS vs. PYPL: Morgan Stanley vs. PayPal Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL) 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 PayPal (PYPL) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but MS is classified in Capital Markets while PYPL is classified in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Profile Item	MS	PYPL
Name	Morgan Stanley Common Stock	PayPal Holdings, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Financial Services
GICS Industry	Capital Markets	Financial Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Investment Banking & Brokerage	Transaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization	283.60 billion USD	49.21 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 23, 1993	July 6, 2015
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PYPL

GSPC

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL), 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 PayPal (PYPL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
Total Return (1Y)	19.44%	-7.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	40.69%	4.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.38%	-21.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PYPL

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.73%	42.40%
Beta (5Y)	1.21	1.28
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-32.38%	-81.84%
Avg. Volume (3M)	5.37M	11.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MS and PYPL 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 PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.51	-0.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.73	-0.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

PayPal (PYPL) at 23.83% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Morgan Stanley (MS) at 18.04% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PYPL.

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%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

23.83%

Max: 44.78%
PYPL: 23.83%
Q3: 21.85%
Median: 12.91%
Q1: 4.48%
Min: -18.71%

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63% and PayPal (PYPL) at 13.78% 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%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

13.78%

Max: 62.84%
Q3: 28.05%
Median: 15.36%
PYPL: 13.78%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -28.52%

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 39.00% and PayPal (PYPL) at 18.41% 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%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

18.41%

Max: 107.33%
Q3: 55.90%
Median: 30.09%
PYPL: 18.41%
Q1: 14.60%
Min: -44.34%

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
ROE (TTM)	18.04%	23.83%
ROA (TTM)	1.35%	4.70%
Net Margin (TTM)	25.63%	13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	39.00%	18.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% and PayPal (PYPL) at 4.32% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% and PayPal (PYPL) at 35.59% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	14.48%	4.32%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.52%	6.43%
EPS Growth (YoY)	28.43%	35.59%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	18.41%	37.30%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.40% and PayPal (PYPL) at 0.95% 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%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

0.95%

Max: 9.77%
Q3: 3.92%
Median: 1.09%
PYPL: 0.95%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): 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 PayPal (PYPL) at 10.69% 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%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

10.69%

Max: 241.07%
Q3: 97.36%
Median: 25.77%
PYPL: 10.69%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.40%	0.95%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	32.91%	10.69%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.39 and PayPal (PYPL) at 11.31 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

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

11.31

Max: 45.85
Q3: 24.64
Median: 15.37
PYPL: 11.31
Q1: 9.68
Min: 0.16

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): 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 PayPal (PYPL) at 1.43 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

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

1.43

Max: 9.23
Q3: 4.57
Median: 2.72
PYPL: 1.43
Q1: 1.28
Min: -0.55

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): 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 PayPal (PYPL) at 2.55 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

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

2.55

Max: 7.79
Q3: 3.63
PYPL: 2.55
Median: 1.57
Q1: 0.81
Min: -0.39

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and PayPal (PYPL)
Metric	MS	PYPL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.39	11.31
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.55	1.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.65	2.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--