Compare Stocks › CVNA vs MS
Carvana Co. (CVNA) vs Morgan Stanley (MS)
CVNA
Carvana Co.
$382.60
VS
MS
Morgan Stanley
$190.17
Rewards
CVNA
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $16.09 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
- ★Trailing P/E of 44.2x is 23% below the historical average of 57.5x — potentially undervalued relative to its own history.
- ★Altman Z-Score of 6.47 indicates very low bankruptcy risk — the company is firmly in the safe zone.
MS
- ★Gross margin of 87.4% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★Morgan Stanley scores 80/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $3.11 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
Risks
CVNA
- ⚠Gross margin of 20.1% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
- ⚠Share count has increased by 34% over the past 4 years, diluting existing shareholders.
- ⚠FCF yield of 1.1% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
MS
- ⚠High leverage (4.56x debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
- ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.29 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
- ⚠Insiders have sold $17.7M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →CVNA
MS
Valuation
$889.00M
Free Cash Flow
N/A
1.05%
FCF Yield
N/A
44.23
Trailing P/E
17.21
36.25
Forward P/E
15.02
Quality & Moat
15.68%
ROIC
3.75%
40.91%
ROE
14.42%
20.13%
Gross Margin
87.39%
3.72
PEG Ratio
0.54
Balance Sheet Safety
1.21
Debt / Equity
4.56
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.16
Net Debt / EBITDA
N/A
N/A
Dividend Yield
2.10%
CVNA: 3Ties: 1MS: 4
CVNAMS
Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →CVNA
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.
MS
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →CVNA
$28.80
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$2.07B
Δ Market Cap
+$59.52B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
MS
$6.65
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$20.84B
Δ Market Cap
+$138.59B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
Learn more →CVNA
15.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 15.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $382.60
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Fair Value: $450.63
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
MS
31.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 31.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $190.17
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Fair Value: $275.48
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →CVNA
What growth rate is the market pricing in at $383?
+23.2%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +29.6%
The market implies +23.2% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.
Standard FCF implies a more demanding +29.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.
MS
Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →CVNA
38/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None
No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.
Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
MS
80/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None
Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.
Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →CVNA
-0.36
Likely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
MS
-2.09
Possible Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →CVNA
Insiders 2.1%Institutions 104.4%
No. of Institutional Holders1,160
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
MS
Insiders 24.3%Institutions 63.0%Retail & Other 12.8%
No. of Institutional Holders3,167
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →CVNA
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
MS
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $5,630
PETERSON DOUGLAS L
Director
$5,630
@ $156.39 · 2025-10-17
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →CVNA
13
Sells (3M)
54
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $291.65M
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.94M
@ $387.19 · 2026-05-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.85M
@ $384.96 · 2026-05-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$395,320
@ $395.32 · 2026-05-01
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$1.29M
@ $341.00 · 2026-04-08
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$3.96M
@ $310.35 · 2026-04-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.10M
@ $309.86 · 2026-04-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$317,500
@ $317.50 · 2026-04-01
QUAYLE DAN
Director
$898,913
@ $309.97 · 2026-03-09
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$309,725
@ $325.00 · 2026-03-09
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.12M
@ $323.15 · 2026-03-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.23M
@ $322.67 · 2026-03-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$324,840
@ $324.84 · 2026-03-02
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$417,271
@ $398.54 · 2026-02-09
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$5.23M
@ $410.19 · 2026-02-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$4.11M
@ $411.27 · 2026-02-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$393,040
@ $393.04 · 2026-02-02
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$524,778
@ $447.00 · 2026-01-08
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$5.14M
@ $403.02 · 2026-01-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$4.02M
@ $401.94 · 2026-01-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$419,480
@ $419.48 · 2026-01-02
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$4.75M
@ $475.00 · 2025-12-12
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$9.50M
@ $475.00 · 2025-12-12
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$4.75M
@ $475.00 · 2025-12-12
GILL DANIEL J
Officer
$19.01M
@ $475.24 · 2025-12-12
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$8.77M
@ $438.50 · 2025-12-08
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$17.58M
@ $439.50 · 2025-12-08
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$13.49M
@ $435.96 · 2025-12-08
GILL DANIEL J
Officer
$35.16M
@ $439.50 · 2025-12-08
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$4.00M
@ $400.00 · 2025-12-03
MAROONE MICHAEL E
Director
$12.38M
@ $400.34 · 2025-12-03
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$10.00M
@ $400.00 · 2025-12-03
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.79M
@ $376.07 · 2025-12-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.77M
@ $377.11 · 2025-12-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$372,310
@ $372.31 · 2025-12-01
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$3.75M
@ $375.04 · 2025-11-28
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$3.75M
@ $375.01 · 2025-11-28
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$3.50M
@ $350.00 · 2025-11-25
SULLIVAN GREGORY B
Director
$850,000
@ $340.00 · 2025-11-12
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$3.25M
@ $325.03 · 2025-11-10
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$309,400
@ $325.00 · 2025-11-10
SULLIVAN GREGORY B
Director
$805,500
@ $322.20 · 2025-11-04
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.12M
@ $323.35 · 2025-11-03
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.25M
@ $324.57 · 2025-11-03
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$305,000
@ $305.00 · 2025-11-03
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$9.77M
@ $301.68 · 2025-10-31
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.96M
@ $389.27 · 2025-10-01
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$5.97M
@ $398.00 · 2025-10-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.89M
@ $389.27 · 2025-10-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$390,140
@ $390.14 · 2025-10-01
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$5.63M
@ $375.00 · 2025-09-09
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.65M
@ $364.42 · 2025-09-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.65M
@ $364.66 · 2025-09-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$361,040
@ $361.04 · 2025-09-02
GARCIA ERNEST C II
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$33.19M
@ $349.09 · 2025-08-13
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
MS
4
Sells (3M)
17
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $74.11M
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$2.12M
@ $190.75 · 2026-04-20
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$2.78M
@ $189.24 · 2026-04-17
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$3.04M
@ $188.22 · 2026-04-16
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$9.74M
@ $188.59 · 2026-04-16
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$6.02M
@ $182.61 · 2026-01-30
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$1.44M
@ $183.45 · 2026-01-20
YESHAYA SHARON
Chief Financial Officer
$2.94M
@ $185.77 · 2026-01-20
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$1.55M
@ $182.08 · 2026-01-20
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$3.69M
@ $184.55 · 2026-01-20
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$5.57M
@ $183.62 · 2026-01-20
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$3.97M
@ $184.00 · 2026-01-20
PICK EDWARD N.
Chief Executive Officer
$16.43M
@ $164.34 · 2025-10-31
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$2.81M
@ $140.30 · 2025-07-17
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$2.53M
@ $140.62 · 2025-07-17
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.69M
@ $141.12 · 2025-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$4.09M
@ $141.13 · 2025-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$3.70M
@ $127.37 · 2025-05-12
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$4.80M
@ $120.00 · 2025-05-02
HERZ ROBERT H
Director
$95,459
@ $119.32 · 2025-05-02
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.12M
@ $111.65 · 2025-04-15
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$1.15M
@ $138.06 · 2025-01-22
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$2.52M
@ $136.92 · 2025-01-21
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$4.20M
@ $136.43 · 2025-01-21
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.78M
@ $136.20 · 2025-01-21
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$5.00M
@ $136.61 · 2025-01-21
AKRAM RAJA
Chief Financial Officer
$2.38M
@ $136.01 · 2025-01-21
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$368,375
@ $105.25 · 2024-07-26
AKRAM RAJA
Officer
$797,764
@ $106.37 · 2024-07-18
HERZ ROBERT H
Director
$106,621
@ $106.62 · 2024-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$4.26M
@ $106.54 · 2024-07-17
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$692,663
@ $99.61 · 2024-05-14
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →CVNA
😐Neutral(41/100)
"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"
Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
MS
😏Greed(71/100)
"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
⚖️ Buffett Signal
Learn more →CVNA
⚪Awaiting DCF Data
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (41)
MS
⚪Awaiting DCF Data
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (71)