Compare Stocks › MS vs NDAQ
Morgan Stanley (MS) vs Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ)
MS
Morgan Stanley
$158.55
VS
NDAQ
Nasdaq, Inc.
$86.27
Rewards
MS
- ★Gross margin of 87.1% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $6.65 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
- ★PEG ratio of 0.75 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.
NDAQ
- ★Gross margin of 100.0% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $10.58 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
- ★PEG ratio of 0.59 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.
Risks
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.
- ⚠7 insider sales totaling $25.2M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
NDAQ
- ⚠Share count has increased by 16% over the past 4 years, diluting existing shareholders.
- ⚠Insiders have sold $67.7M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →MS
NDAQ
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$1.67B
N/A
FCF Yield
3.39%
15.53
Trailing P/E
27.92
12.89
Forward P/E
19.70
Quality & Moat
3.43%
ROIC
9.06%
14.42%
ROE
14.62%
87.06%
Gross Margin
100.00%
0.75
PEG Ratio
0.59
Balance Sheet Safety
4.56
Debt / Equity
0.78
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.86
2.52%
Dividend Yield
1.25%
MS: 3Ties: 2NDAQ: 4
MSNDAQ
Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →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.
NDAQ
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 →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
NDAQ
$10.58
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$2.38B
Δ Market Cap
+$25.19B
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 →MS
45.5% Margin of Safety
Price is 45.5% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $158.55
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Fair Value: $290.92
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
NDAQ
22.7% Overvalued
Price is 22.7% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $86.27
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Fair Value: $70.31
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →MS
Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
NDAQ
What growth rate is the market pricing in at $86?
+14.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +15.3%
The market implies +14.3% Owner Earnings growth, roughly in line with history — reasonably priced.
Standard FCF implies +15.3%, reflecting ongoing growth investment.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →MS
32/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None
No durable moat detected, though revenue predictability 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.
NDAQ
53/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None
Narrow moat with reinvestment efficiency as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency would strengthen the moat.
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 →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.
NDAQ
-2.58
Unlikely 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 →MS
Insiders 24.0%Institutions 62.7%Retail & Other 13.3%
No. of Institutional Holders3,182
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.
NDAQ
Insiders 10.9%Institutions 86.9%Retail & Other 2.3%
No. of Institutional Holders1,537
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 →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
NDAQ
2
Buys (3M)
2
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $16.79M
TORGEBY JOHAN
Director
$958,320
@ $79.86 · 2026-02-17
INVESTOR AB
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$15.84M
@ $79.18 · 2026-02-13
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 →MS
7
Sells (3M)
16
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $62.45M
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$6.02M
@ $182.61 · 2026-01-30
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$3.97M
@ $184.00 · 2026-01-20
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
PICK EDWARD N.
Chief Executive Officer
$16.43M
@ $164.34 · 2025-10-31
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.69M
@ $141.12 · 2025-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$4.09M
@ $141.13 · 2025-07-17
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$2.81M
@ $140.30 · 2025-07-17
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$2.53M
@ $140.62 · 2025-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$3.70M
@ $127.37 · 2025-05-12
HERZ ROBERT H
Director
$95,459
@ $119.32 · 2025-05-02
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$4.80M
@ $120.00 · 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
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
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$2.52M
@ $136.92 · 2025-01-21
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$4.20M
@ $136.43 · 2025-01-21
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$368,375
@ $105.25 · 2024-07-26
AKRAM RAJA
Officer
$797,764
@ $106.37 · 2024-07-18
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$4.26M
@ $106.54 · 2024-07-17
HERZ ROBERT H
Director
$106,621
@ $106.62 · 2024-07-17
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$692,663
@ $99.61 · 2024-05-14
GORMAN JAMES P
Officer and Director
$9.02M
@ $90.21 · 2024-04-18
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$1.01M
@ $90.09 · 2024-04-17
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
NDAQ
6
Sells (3M)
24
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $73.18M
FRIEDMAN ADENA T
Chief Executive Officer
$8.36M
@ $90.08 · 2026-03-06
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$523,440
@ $87.24 · 2026-03-02
DALY MICHELLE LYNN
Officer
$352,934
@ $81.34 · 2026-02-19
FRIEDMAN ADENA T
Chief Executive Officer
$29.07M
@ $96.91 · 2026-02-02
ZECCA JOHN
Officer
$450,045
@ $100.01 · 2026-01-06
FRIEDMAN ADENA T
Chief Executive Officer
$28.92M
@ $96.39 · 2026-01-02
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$419,611
@ $90.57 · 2025-12-01
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$190,650
@ $90.57 · 2025-12-01
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$179,767
@ $85.40 · 2025-11-03
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$185,703
@ $88.22 · 2025-10-01
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$196,228
@ $93.22 · 2025-09-02
BEGLEY CHARLENE T
Director
$289,800
@ $96.60 · 2025-08-04
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$201,006
@ $95.49 · 2025-08-01
DALY MICHELLE LYNN
Officer
$812,174
@ $93.45 · 2025-07-25
PETERSON BRADLEY J.
Chief Technology Officer
$1.02M
@ $88.87 · 2025-07-02
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$187,703
@ $89.17 · 2025-07-01
GRIGGS P C NELSON
Officer
$340,880
@ $85.22 · 2025-06-06
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$178,840
@ $85.00 · 2025-06-06
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$87,694
@ $83.28 · 2025-06-02
GRIGGS P C NELSON
Officer
$664,240
@ $83.03 · 2025-05-27
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$85,841
@ $81.52 · 2025-05-12
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$47,179
@ $71.81 · 2025-04-04
PETERSON BRADLEY J.
Chief Investment Officer
$174,646
@ $75.67 · 2025-04-02
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$237,078
@ $75.70 · 2025-04-02
YOUNGWOOD SARAH
Officer
$1.10M
@ $73.68 · 2025-03-17
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$289,730
@ $82.78 · 2025-03-03
PETERSON BRADLEY J.
Officer
$1.36M
@ $79.79 · 2025-02-26
TAL COHEN
Officer
$749,981
@ $83.75 · 2025-02-06
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$285,460
@ $81.56 · 2025-02-03
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$976,485
@ $80.88 · 2024-12-09
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$950,906
@ $78.75 · 2024-11-18
PETERSON BRADLEY J.
Officer
$940,636
@ $79.58 · 2024-11-13
GRIGGS P C NELSON
Officer
$798,600
@ $79.86 · 2024-11-11
GRIGGS P C NELSON
President
$444,086
@ $77.34 · 2024-11-06
SKULE JEREMY
Officer
$935,040
@ $77.92 · 2024-11-06
TAL COHEN
Officer
$806,651
@ $74.11 · 2024-11-01
GRIGGS P C NELSON
Officer
$758,460
@ $75.85 · 2024-10-29
PETERSON BRADLEY J.
Officer
$1.03M
@ $75.32 · 2024-10-28
ZECCA JOHN
Officer
$791,670
@ $71.97 · 2024-09-12
PETERSON BRADLEY J.
Officer
$2.71M
@ $67.79 · 2024-08-09
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$181,826
@ $59.89 · 2024-05-01
SMITH BRYAN EVERARD
Officer
$465,534
@ $62.91 · 2024-04-01
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 →MS
😐Neutral(48/100)
"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.
NDAQ
😐Neutral(54/100)
"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.
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 →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: Neutral (48)
NDAQ
⚪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 (54)