Compare StocksMS vs TEL

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs TE Connectivity plc (TEL)

MS
Morgan Stanley
$158.55
VS
TEL
TE Connectivity plc
$198.39

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.
TEL
  • TE Connectivity plc has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • TE Connectivity plc scores 81/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with reinvestment efficiency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Free cash flow has grown at a 23.5% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power 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.
TEL
  • FCF yield of 5.5% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
  • Trailing P/E of 28.6x is 29% above the historical average of 22.2x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
  • 5 insider sales totaling $7.5M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.

Key Valuation Metrics

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MS
TEL
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$3.20B
N/A
FCF Yield
5.50%
15.53
Trailing P/E
28.59
12.89
Forward P/E
16.03
Quality & Moat
3.43%
ROIC
15.61%
14.42%
ROE
14.02%
87.06%
Gross Margin
35.69%
0.75
PEG Ratio
0.64
Balance Sheet Safety
4.56
Debt / Equity
0.46
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.05
2.52%
Dividend Yield
1.47%
MS: 4Ties: 2TEL: 3
MSTEL

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.

TEL

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
TEL
$6.55
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$4.66B
Δ Market Cap
+$30.50B
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
TEL
27.8% Overvalued
Price is 27.8% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $198.39
Fair Value: $155.18
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.

TEL

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $198?

+15.0%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +7.5%

The market implies +15.0% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +7.5%, 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.
TEL
81/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Reinvestment Efficiency is the standout factor.

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.
TEL
-2.87
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 Holders3,182
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.
TEL
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 93.4%Retail & Other 6.5%
No. of Institutional Holders1,774
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
TEL
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
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
TEL
5
Sells (3M)
22
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $142.14M
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$2.09M
@ $222.52 · 2026-03-02
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$1.53M
@ $233.64 · 2026-02-13
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$2.20M
@ $233.82 · 2026-02-13
SHAFFER REUBEN M
Officer
$333,853
@ $234.28 · 2026-02-13
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$1.37M
@ $222.81 · 2026-02-09
MITTS HEATH A
Chief Financial Officer
$2.84M
@ $226.43 · 2025-12-19
CURTIN TERRENCE R
Chief Executive Officer
$9.45M
@ $227.07 · 2025-12-19
MITTS HEATH A
Chief Financial Officer
$20.34M
@ $247.15 · 2025-11-03
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$6.20M
@ $247.73 · 2025-11-03
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$4.84M
@ $202.99 · 2025-09-02
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$9.60M
@ $209.33 · 2025-07-28
SAGAR MALAVIKA
Officer
$403,004
@ $207.20 · 2025-07-28
CURTIN TERRENCE R
Chief Executive Officer
$41.15M
@ $208.76 · 2025-07-28
STUCKI AARON KYLE
Officer
$10.20M
@ $192.78 · 2025-07-23
STUCKI AARON KYLE
Officer
$2.23M
@ $170.00 · 2025-06-26
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$3.98M
@ $159.03 · 2025-06-02
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$3.32M
@ $162.85 · 2025-05-13
MITTS HEATH A
Chief Financial Officer
$8.49M
@ $159.21 · 2025-05-12
STUCKI AARON KYLE
President
$800,000
@ $160.00 · 2025-05-12
SAGAR MALAVIKA
Officer
$500,000
@ $160.00 · 2025-05-12
MITTS HEATH A
Chief Financial Officer
$5.80M
@ $153.33 · 2025-05-09
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$4.48M
@ $149.39 · 2025-05-02
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$3.67M
@ $146.77 · 2025-03-04
WRIGHT LAURA H
Director
$154,660
@ $154.66 · 2025-02-18
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$587,706
@ $151.16 · 2025-01-27
CURTIN TERRENCE R
Chief Executive Officer
$17.79M
@ $154.69 · 2024-11-11
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$6.34M
@ $155.49 · 2024-11-07
OTT ROBERT J
Officer
$2.50M
@ $155.41 · 2024-11-06
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$1.32M
@ $151.41 · 2024-09-03
JENKINS JOHN S. JR.
General Counsel
$895,048
@ $145.56 · 2024-08-13
MITTS HEATH A
Chief Financial Officer
$9.24M
@ $154.70 · 2024-07-31
OTT ROBERT J
Officer
$450,321
@ $154.59 · 2024-07-31
CURTIN TERRENCE R
Chief Executive Officer
$33.97M
@ $155.45 · 2024-07-29
STUCKI AARON KYLE
Officer
$1.36M
@ $155.00 · 2024-07-11
KROEGER SHADRAK W
Officer
$749,297
@ $149.86 · 2024-06-03
STUCKI AARON KYLE
Officer
$750,000
@ $150.00 · 2024-05-15
TRUDEAU MARK C
Director
$996,656
@ $141.49 · 2024-04-29
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.
TEL
FearGreed
😐Neutral(42/100)

"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)
TEL
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 (42)
View MS Full AnalysisView TEL Full Analysis
Morgan Stanley (MS) vs TE Connectivity plc (TEL) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io