Compare StocksMS vs XYZ

Morgan Stanley (MS) vs Block, Inc. (XYZ)

MS
Morgan Stanley
$190.17
VS
XYZ
Block, Inc.
$71.81

Rewards

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.
XYZ
  • Free cash flow has grown at a 681.1% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $4.87 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
  • Management has timed buybacks well — 2 out of 3 years showed value-accretive repurchases.

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.
  • Insiders have sold $17.7M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
XYZ
  • Despite buyback spending, shares outstanding increased in 2 out of 3 years — stock-based compensation is offsetting repurchases.
  • 6 insider sales totaling $3.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.

Key Valuation Metrics

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MS
XYZ
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$-1.03B
N/A
FCF Yield
-2.42%
17.21
Trailing P/E
34.20
15.02
Forward P/E
14.96
Quality & Moat
3.75%
ROIC
4.89%
14.42%
ROE
5.89%
87.39%
Gross Margin
43.06%
0.54
PEG Ratio
0.82
Balance Sheet Safety
4.56
Debt / Equity
0.40
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.86
2.10%
Dividend Yield
N/A
MS: 4Ties: 2XYZ: 2
MSXYZ

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.

XYZ

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
XYZ
$0.35
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Destroyer
Σ Retained
$4.21B
Δ Market Cap
+$1.48B
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
31.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 31.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $190.17
Fair Value: $275.48
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
XYZ
54.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 54.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $71.81
Fair Value: $156.38
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.

XYZ

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

Economic Moat Score

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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.
XYZ
40/100
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 5 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.
XYZ
-2.62
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 24.3%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.
XYZ
Insiders 1.4%Institutions 83.8%Retail & Other 14.8%
No. of Institutional Holders1,423
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
XYZ
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
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
XYZ
6
Sells (3M)
56
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $22.48M
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$2.32M
@ $75.00 · 2026-04-21
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$225,000
@ $75.00 · 2026-04-21
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$106,582
@ $60.25 · 2026-04-06
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$8,013
@ $60.25 · 2026-04-06
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$225,423
@ $63.41 · 2026-03-03
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$517,450
@ $50.00 · 2026-02-24
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$202,286
@ $66.96 · 2026-01-06
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$70,442
@ $63.98 · 2026-01-02
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$21,177
@ $63.98 · 2026-01-02
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$52,592
@ $63.98 · 2026-01-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$76,354
@ $65.09 · 2026-01-02
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$897,596
@ $61.71 · 2025-11-24
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$221,531
@ $61.40 · 2025-11-21
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$639,604
@ $61.40 · 2025-11-21
WEBER ARNAUD
Officer
$435,633
@ $61.40 · 2025-11-21
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$611,483
@ $61.40 · 2025-11-21
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$167,254
@ $61.40 · 2025-11-21
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$2.81M
@ $80.00 · 2025-10-08
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$60,000
@ $80.00 · 2025-10-08
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$229,104
@ $75.84 · 2025-10-03
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$198,871
@ $75.70 · 2025-10-03
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$30,357
@ $74.77 · 2025-10-02
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$78,508
@ $74.77 · 2025-10-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$93,045
@ $73.26 · 2025-10-02
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$493,575
@ $75.00 · 2025-09-16
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$744,102
@ $76.24 · 2025-09-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$291,556
@ $74.60 · 2025-08-25
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$1.39M
@ $73.50 · 2025-08-22
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$1.20M
@ $73.90 · 2025-08-22
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$473,238
@ $73.20 · 2025-08-21
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$264,179
@ $73.20 · 2025-08-21
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$417,181
@ $73.72 · 2025-08-21
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$274,284
@ $76.19 · 2025-08-15
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$32,796
@ $81.99 · 2025-08-08
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Chief Technology Officer
$269,748
@ $74.93 · 2025-08-01
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$64,000
@ $80.00 · 2025-07-23
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$40,000
@ $80.00 · 2025-07-23
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$313,850
@ $78.60 · 2025-07-21
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$1.29M
@ $78.60 · 2025-07-21
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$246,568
@ $68.49 · 2025-07-17
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$92,947
@ $69.26 · 2025-07-02
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$28,120
@ $69.26 · 2025-07-02
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$407,048
@ $67.84 · 2025-07-02
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$72,723
@ $69.26 · 2025-07-02
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$93,570
@ $69.26 · 2025-07-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$25,349
@ $69.26 · 2025-07-02
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$177,828
@ $63.51 · 2025-06-16
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$142,025
@ $65.00 · 2025-06-06
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$169,568
@ $60.56 · 2025-06-02
PRASANNA DHANANJAY
Officer
$695,039
@ $61.41 · 2025-05-27
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$852,216
@ $56.30 · 2025-05-22
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$564,013
@ $56.39 · 2025-05-21
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$366,197
@ $56.39 · 2025-05-21
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$169,678
@ $56.39 · 2025-05-21
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$108,720
@ $56.39 · 2025-05-21
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$412,500
@ $55.00 · 2025-05-12
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$111,031
@ $56.19 · 2025-04-02
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$105,918
@ $56.19 · 2025-04-02
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$20,509
@ $56.19 · 2025-04-02
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$70,968
@ $56.19 · 2025-04-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$53,874
@ $55.31 · 2025-04-02
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$539,083
@ $69.35 · 2025-02-24
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$851,111
@ $69.30 · 2025-02-24
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$446,180
@ $70.32 · 2025-02-21
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$114,411
@ $70.32 · 2025-02-21
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$103,159
@ $70.32 · 2025-02-21
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$378,855
@ $89.44 · 2025-01-03
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$36,165
@ $86.52 · 2025-01-02
JENNINGS OWEN BRITTON
Officer
$253,486
@ $89.38 · 2025-01-02
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$129,953
@ $86.52 · 2025-01-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$177,252
@ $86.72 · 2025-01-02
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$272,175
@ $95.00 · 2024-12-02
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$1.06M
@ $91.49 · 2024-11-22
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$910,434
@ $91.71 · 2024-11-22
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$179,294
@ $91.43 · 2024-11-21
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$162,837
@ $91.43 · 2024-11-21
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$28,531
@ $83.67 · 2024-11-18
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$61,830
@ $90.00 · 2024-11-18
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$480,135
@ $82.45 · 2024-11-12
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$165,000
@ $82.50 · 2024-11-12
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$225,600
@ $75.20 · 2024-11-06
GRASSADONIA BRIAN
Officer
$274,613
@ $64.84 · 2024-10-03
AHUJA AMRITA
Chief Operating Officer
$509,202
@ $65.26 · 2024-10-03
ESPERANZA CHRISTINEGRACE GANAL
Officer
$33,752
@ $65.41 · 2024-10-02
DALE AJMERE SINGH
Officer
$77,259
@ $66.09 · 2024-10-02
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
😏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.
XYZ
FearGreed
😐Neutral(59/100)

"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: Greed (71)
XYZ
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 (59)
View MS Full AnalysisView XYZ Full Analysis
MS vs XYZ: Which Is the Better Buy? | SafetyMargin.io