Morgan Stanley (MS) is a Financial Services company in the Capital Markets industry with a 80% Strong Buy Score. Key strengths include Revenue Growth (28.0%), Gross Margin (87.6%), Net Margin (25.9%). Areas to watch: Debt/Equity (5.17). The score on this page is a five-factor screen — revenue growth, gross margin, net margin, return on equity and debt-to-equity — each scored against fixed thresholds from a neutral starting point of 50%. The eight-section analysis, including moat, free cash flow, dilution and valuation, runs in the full report.
This analysis is generated by StrongBuyAnalytics AI using publicly available financial data from SEC filings, earnings reports, and market feeds. It is not personalized investment advice. See our methodology and disclaimer.
3 of the inputs in our model moved MS's score away from the neutral baseline of 50%, landing it at 80% (Strong Buy). Each one below is a specific figure from Morgan Stanley's reported financials, not a judgement call:
5 data points sit outside the score itself but bear on Morgan Stanley's next few quarters. They are reported here as observations, not predictions:
Compared against other Capital Markets companies we cover, picked for having a similar market capitalisation to MS.
2 measurable risks showed up in Morgan Stanley's numbers. This is not a complete list of what could go wrong — only what is visible in the data we score:
Morgan Stanley's liquidity and cash generation as of the most recent filing — note the cash position of $739.08B against $607.50B of debt:
Figures are drawn from Morgan Stanley's most recent balance sheet and cash flow statement as filed with the SEC. See the filings themselves.
Institutional investment managers with >$100 M in qualifying assets must disclose their equity positions quarterly on SEC Form 13F — typically within 45 days of quarter-end. Search those filings below to see which hedge funds, mutual funds, and asset managers reported MS as a holding, how many shares they held, and how positions changed quarter over quarter.
We do not answer that question for you, and we do not publish buy or sell calls. What we publish is a score: MS rates 80% on our five-factor fundamentals screen, which puts it in the "Strong Buy" band. Everything below explains how it got there so you can disagree with it.
Morgan Stanley clears our thresholds on most of what we measure. The strongest readings are revenue growth (28.0%) and gross margin (87.6%). It is not unqualified: debt/equity (5.17) works against it.
Morgan Stanley reported revenue growth of 28.0% year over year, against a Capital Markets peer set where scale and pricing power vary widely. Growth at that level is the single largest positive contributor to the MS score.
Earnings grew 62.4% over the same period, outpacing revenue — a sign of operating leverage.
Track upcoming report dates on our earnings calendar.
This is a fundamentals outlook, not a price target — we do not publish one. It describes what Morgan Stanley's current financials imply about the next three to twelve months if the trends in them hold.
Constructive: Revenue growth of 28.0% gives MS room to grow into its multiple. Net margins of 25.9% mean that growth converts to profit rather than being spent to buy it. The main thing to watch over the next few quarters is whether those figures hold; the score is built on trailing data and will move if they do not.
These are the Morgan Stanley figures that push the score up, taken straight from the most recent reported financials:
These are the figures working against MS in the same model:
See how every metric on this MS page — quality score, valuation, DCF scenarios, confidence, and data limitations — fits into a professional research report.
Generate My Free MS ReportGuides to the specific measures used in this MS analysis:
How the financial statements behind this page fit together.
Understanding P/E RatioWhat MS's 17.3x multiple does and does not tell you.
Return on Equity (ROE)Why MS's 18.0% return on equity matters for stock selection.
Stock Valuation MethodsHow DCF, multiples and asset-based approaches value a company like Morgan Stanley.
How to Read Earnings ReportsWhere the MS growth and margin figures on this page come from.
What Are Demand Zones?The technical side we deliberately keep out of the MS score.
Latest SEC filings for MS explained in plain English — insider buys/sells (Form 4), proposed sales (Form 144), material events (8-K), and quarterly & annual reports.
