AXP vs MS vs WFC Stock Comparison

American Express, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo & Company Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AXP American Express Co
$312.92 +1.4% 1M -13.5% 1Y
Market cap
$214.36B
P/E
17.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$77.59B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
MS Morgan Stanley
$186.98 -4.7% 1M +12.6% 1Y
Market cap
$295.97B
P/E
14.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$80.16B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
5 wins
WFC Wells Fargo & Company/Mn
$82.68 -0.3% 1M -5.0% 1Y
Market cap
$255.94B
P/E
12.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$87.23B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
3 wins

Head to Head

8 decided of 12

Morgan Stanley leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Morgan Stanley 5, Wells Fargo & Company 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAXPMSWFCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $214.36B $295.97B $255.94B MS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.5x 14.9x 12.6x WFC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.8x 13.7x 10.6x WFC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.2% +16.2% +5.4% MS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.8% — — –
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 19.6% — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -13.5% +12.6% -5.0% MS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.4%/yr +12.8%/yr +10.0%/yr MS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.1% 28.4% 25.5% WFC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 46/100 53/100 40/100 MS

Percentile Scorecard

AXPMSWFC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAXPMSWFC
Valuation 22 #282 of 360 31 #248 of 360 63 #135 of 360
Growth 39 #117 of 191 94 #13 of 191 22 #149 of 191
Profitability 67 #56 of 168 – –
Financial Health 39 #107 of 175 – –
Shareholder Returns 61 #134 of 341 34 #225 of 341 35 #222 of 341
Overall 46 53 40
  • AXP ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • MS ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • WFC ranked among 368 companies in Banking

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAXPMSWFCSPY
1 month +1.4%-4.7%-0.3% -0.2%
3 months -7.0%-11.6%-4.9% +3.9%
6 months -0.9%-1.8%+1.4% +8.2%
Year to date -15.4%+5.3%-11.3% +12.9%
1 year -13.5%+12.6%-5.0% +12.3%
3 years +121.4%+165.6%+113.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +30.4%+38.5%+28.8% +23.3%
5 years +79.2%+82.4%+61.0% +67.9%
5 years, per year +12.4%+12.8%+10.0% +10.9%
10 years +367.5%+452.9%+78.2% +261.1%
10 years, per year +16.7%+18.7%+5.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAXPMSWFCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.1%28.4%25.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%29.8%29.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.931.420.67 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.520.44-0.19 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.0%-35.3%-38.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.7%-18.2%-14.2% -1.2%
52-week high $384.89$228.55$96.39 $779.14
52-week low $292.27$154.37$73.42 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAXPMSWFC
P/E now vs peer median 17.2xmedian 12.1x 14.6xmedian 12.1x 12.4xmedian 12.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 3.4x 3.7xmedian 3.4x 2.9xmedian 3.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 5.0x —median 5.0x —median 5.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.1xmedian 10.9x -16.3xmedian 10.9x 12.7xmedian 10.9x
P/B now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 1.2x —median 1.2x —median 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.93median 1.34 0.47median 1.34 1.10median 1.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAXPMSWFC
Revenue $77.59B $80.16B $87.23B
Net income $12.26B – –
Free cash flow $13.91B – –
EPS (diluted) $18.18 $12.65 $6.62
Cash & equivalents $43.20B – –
Total debt $59.95B – –
Shares (diluted) 674.00M 1.57B 3.07B
Enterprise value $13.85B $295.97B $255.94B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAXPMSWFC
P/E 17.2x 14.6x 12.4x
P/FCF 15.1x -16.3x 12.7x
P/Operating cash flow 11.9x – –
P/S 2.7x 3.7x 2.9x
P/B 5.9x – –
P/Tangible book 5.9x – –
EV/EBITDA 8.8x – –
EV/EBIT 9.5x – –
EV/Revenue 2.9x 3.7x 2.9x
EV/FCF 15.9x – –
EV/Operating cash flow 12.6x – –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.93 0.47 1.10

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAXPMSWFC
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.2% 16.2% 5.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.6% 14.1% 2.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – – –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – –
Net income growth (1Y) 16.3% – –
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.2% – –
EPS growth (1Y) 19.5% 29.2% 6.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.5% 30.9% 11.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -16.6% – –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.5% – –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -26.6% – –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -9.2% – –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAXPMSWFC
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 32.6% – –
Operating margin – – –
Pretax margin 19.9% – –
Net margin 15.8% – –
FCF margin 17.9% – –
Operating cash flow margin 22.7% – –
Return on equity 35.0% – –
Return on assets 4.0% 1.2% –
Return on invested capital 19.6% – –
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.0x 0.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x – –
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAXPMSWFC
Debt / assets 19.3% – –
Debt / equity 1.7x – –
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x – –
Debt / FCF 4.3x – –
Liabilities / assets 88.5% – 92.1%
Equity / assets 11.5% – –
Interest coverage 3.0x – –
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAXPMSWFC
Dividend yield 1.2% 2.2% 2.2%
Net buyback yield 3.2% – –
Shareholder yield 4.4% 2.2% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAXPMSWFC
Forward P/E 17.8xFY2026 13.7xFY2026 10.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.56FY2026 $13.66FY2026 $7.82FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.2%FY2026 +33.8%FY2026 +24.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.2% -4.2% +7.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $82.04BFY2026 $80.05BFY2026 $94.32BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.6%FY2026 +13.3%FY2026 +12.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.3% +13.3% +4.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAXPMSWFC
Held by institutions 84.9% 85.7% 76.8%
Institutions holding 3,009 2,742 2,877
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.3% +1.5% +1.1%
Institutions buying 1,473 1,468 1,292
Institutions selling 1,051 939 1,134
Buyers to sellers 1.40 1.56 1.14

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AXPMSWFC
AXP 1.00 0.54 0.53
MS 0.54 1.00 0.53
WFC 0.53 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AXP, MS and WFC?

Morgan Stanley (MS) is the largest by market capitalisation: American Express (AXP) $214.36B, Morgan Stanley (MS) $295.97B, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) $255.94B.

Which stock is cheaper, AXP, MS and WFC?

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (American Express (AXP) 17.5x, Morgan Stanley (MS) 14.9x, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 12.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is cheapest (American Express (AXP) 17.8x, Morgan Stanley (MS) 13.7x, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 10.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Morgan Stanley (MS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: American Express (AXP) +10.2%, Morgan Stanley (MS) +16.2%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) +5.4%.

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Morgan Stanley (MS) returned the most: American Express (AXP) -13.5%, Morgan Stanley (MS) +12.6%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) -5.0%. Over five years, Morgan Stanley (MS) compounded fastest (American Express (AXP) +12.4%/yr, Morgan Stanley (MS) +12.8%/yr, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) +10.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) has been the steadiest (American Express (AXP) 26.1%, Morgan Stanley (MS) 28.4%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 25.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AXP, MS and WFC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Morgan Stanley (MS) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.