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MS vs. WFC: Morgan Stanley vs. Wells Fargo Stock Comparison

How do Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC) 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 Wells Fargo (WFC) share the Financials sector but sit in different industry groups — MS in Financial Services and WFC in Banks.

Company profile comparison for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Profile ItemMSWFC
NameMorgan Stanley Common StockWells Fargo & Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesBanks
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsBanks
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageDiversified Banks
Market Capitalization283.60 billion USD251.98 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 23, 1993June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MS
WFC
GSPC
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC), 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 Wells Fargo (WFC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
Total Return (1Y)19.44%2.40%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.69%31.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.38%14.35%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.73%26.11%
Beta (5Y)1.210.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.38%-37.10%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.37M14.10M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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MS and WFC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.51-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.73-0.10

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 18.04% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 12.91% 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

12.91%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
WFC
12.91%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.63% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 27.64% 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

27.64%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
WFC
27.64%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) reports operating margin of 39.00%; Wells Fargo (WFC) doesn’t report a comparable line — in Banks, funding costs sit inside the core business rather than below an operating line, so profitability is better judged on net margin or ROE.

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%

WFC

Banks industry group

--

WFC
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): WFC’s operating margin is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for MS only.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
ROE (TTM)18.04%12.91%
ROA (TTM)1.35%1.08%
Net Margin (TTM)25.63%27.64%
Operating Margin (TTM)39.00%--
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Wells Fargo (WFC) at 1.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 16.57% 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. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
Revenue Growth (YoY)14.48%1.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.52%4.02%
EPS Growth (YoY)28.43%16.57%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)18.41%25.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.40% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 2.19% 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

2.19%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
WFC
2.19%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 32.91% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 26.09% 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

26.09%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
WFC
26.09%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.40%2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)32.91%26.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.39 and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 11.84 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

WFC

Banks industry group

11.84

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
WFC
11.84
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) shows P/S ratio of 3.55; for Wells Fargo (WFC) the multiple is skipped — in Banks, income is dominated by interest spread rather than a conventional revenue line, so pricing per dollar of sales loses meaning and book- or earnings-based multiples carry the comparison.

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

WFC

Banks industry group

--

WFC
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): WFC’s P/S ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for MS only.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 2.65 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Wells Fargo (WFC) at 1.59 carries an above-peer premium to book — WFC is pricier on assets.

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

WFC

Banks industry group

1.59

Max
2.28
WFC
1.59
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59
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Morgan Stanley (MS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Morgan Stanley (MS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricMSWFC
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.3911.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.55--
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.651.59
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----