Compare StocksMS vs SNPS

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS)

MS
Morgan Stanley
$158.55
VS
SNPS
Synopsys, Inc.
$428.25

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.
SNPS
  • Gross margin of 82.0% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $8.02 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

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.
SNPS
  • ROIC has declined by 13.2 percentage points over the observed period, which may signal competitive erosion.
  • Share count has increased by 22% over the past 4 years, diluting existing shareholders.
  • Trailing P/E of 65.8x is 29% above the historical average of 51.0x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.

Key Valuation Metrics

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MS
SNPS
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$3.10B
N/A
FCF Yield
3.77%
15.53
Trailing P/E
65.78
12.89
Forward P/E
25.11
Quality & Moat
3.43%
ROIC
2.04%
14.42%
ROE
4.36%
87.06%
Gross Margin
82.02%
0.75
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
4.56
Debt / Equity
0.36
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
5.37
2.52%
Dividend Yield
N/A
MS: 5Ties: 1SNPS: 1
MSSNPS

Historical Fundamentals

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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.

SNPS

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

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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
SNPS
$8.02
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$4.83B
Δ Market Cap
+$38.71B
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

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

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MS
45.5% Margin of Safety
Price is 45.5% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $158.55
Fair Value: $290.92
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
SNPS
90.6% Overvalued
Price is 90.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $428.25
Fair Value: $224.68
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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MS

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

SNPS

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $428?

+24.5%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +12.9%

The market implies +24.5% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +12.9%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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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.
SNPS
63/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability 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

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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.
SNPS
-3.12
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

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MS
Insiders 24.0%Institutions 62.7%Retail & Other 13.3%
No. of Institutional Holders3,181
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.
SNPS
Insiders 3.0%Institutions 91.0%Retail & Other 6.1%
No. of Institutional Holders2,066
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

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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
SNPS
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $148,904
PAINTER ROBERT G
Director
$148,904
@ $425.44 · 2025-09-11
CASPER MARC N
Director
$439,087
@ $585.45 · 2024-03-25
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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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
SNPS
2
Sells (3M)
9
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $31.71M
LEE JANET
General Counsel
$132,500
@ $530.00 · 2026-01-12
LEE JANET
General Counsel
$127,500
@ $510.00 · 2026-01-07
GLASER SHELAGH M
Chief Financial Officer
$1.69M
@ $460.77 · 2025-12-19
KANKANWADI SUDHINDRA
Officer
$7.84M
@ $493.76 · 2025-09-22
GLASER SHELAGH M
Chief Financial Officer
$2.23M
@ $609.77 · 2025-09-05
GHAZI SASSINE E
Chief Executive Officer
$6.69M
@ $589.01 · 2025-09-02
MAHONEY RICHARD S
Officer
$4.25M
@ $471.21 · 2025-06-18
GLASER SHELAGH M
Chief Financial Officer
$3.55M
@ $485.72 · 2025-06-06
GHAZI SASSINE E
Chief Executive Officer
$5.20M
@ $457.93 · 2025-06-02
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$6.98M
@ $444.42 · 2025-03-06
GHAZI SASSINE E
Chief Executive Officer
$5.27M
@ $463.75 · 2025-03-03
MAHONEY RICHARD S
Officer
$10.54M
@ $506.01 · 2025-01-15
GHAZI SASSINE E
Chief Executive Officer
$5.70M
@ $553.89 · 2024-08-23
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$305,954
@ $620.60 · 2024-07-15
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$8.22M
@ $620.77 · 2024-07-11
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$20.55M
@ $618.97 · 2024-07-08
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$4.35M
@ $610.52 · 2024-07-03
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$10.30M
@ $603.27 · 2024-07-01
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$6.66M
@ $602.06 · 2024-06-27
DE GEUS AART J
Officer and Director
$4.05M
@ $600.40 · 2024-06-25
MAHONEY RICHARD S
Officer
$2.03M
@ $611.41 · 2024-06-18
RUNKEL JOHN F JR
General Counsel
$530,684
@ $566.97 · 2024-06-10
RUNKEL JOHN F JR
General Counsel
$722,213
@ $582.90 · 2024-05-24
GHAZI SASSINE E
Chief Executive Officer
$6.00M
@ $582.41 · 2024-05-24
RUNKEL JOHN F JR
General Counsel
$3.08M
@ $579.37 · 2024-04-03
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

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MS
FearGreed
😐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.
SNPS
FearGreed
😐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.

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

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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)
SNPS
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)
View MS Full AnalysisView SNPS Full Analysis