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

How do Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS) 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 UBS (UBS) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though MS is classified under Investment Banking & Brokerage while UBS falls under Diversified Capital Markets.

Company profile comparison for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
Profile ItemMSUBS
NameMorgan Stanley Common StockUBS Group AG
Country/RegionUnited StatesSwitzerland
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageDiversified Capital Markets
Market Capitalization283.60 billion USD144.79 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 23, 1993May 16, 2000
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
Total Return (1Y)19.44%30.78%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.69%29.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.38%25.00%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.73%27.78%
Beta (5Y)1.211.15
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.38%-32.48%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.37M1.93M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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MS and UBS 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 UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.510.95
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.731.44

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Morgan Stanley (MS) earns 18.04% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; UBS (UBS) 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%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

--

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63% and UBS (UBS) at 18.18% 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%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

18.18%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
UBS
18.18%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 39.00% and UBS (UBS) at 27.10% 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%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

27.10%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
UBS
27.10%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
ROE (TTM)18.04%--
ROA (TTM)1.35%--
Net Margin (TTM)25.63%18.18%
Operating Margin (TTM)39.00%27.10%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% and UBS (UBS) at 4.30% 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. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

UBS (UBS) at 55.26% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for UBS.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
Revenue Growth (YoY)14.48%4.30%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.52%12.44%
EPS Growth (YoY)28.43%55.26%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)18.41%1.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

UBS (UBS) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Morgan Stanley (MS) reports a yield of 2.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
UBS
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): 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 UBS (UBS) at 36.30% 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%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

36.30%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
UBS
36.30%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.40%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)32.91%36.30%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.39 and UBS (UBS) at 15.77 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

UBS

Financial Services industry group

15.77

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
UBS
15.77
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): 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 UBS (UBS) at 2.71 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

UBS

Financial Services industry group

2.71

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
UBS
2.71
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): 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 UBS (UBS) at 1.64 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

UBS

Financial Services industry group

1.64

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
UBS
1.64
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and UBS (UBS)
MetricMSUBS
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.3915.77
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.552.71
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.651.64
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----