MS vs BAC vs AXP Stock Comparison

Morgan Stanley, Bank Of America and American Express Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MS Morgan Stanley
$179.49 -9.5% 1M +12.7% 1Y
Market cap
$285.21B
P/E
14.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$78.04B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
3 wins
BAC Bank Of America Corp /De/
$50.57 -9.7% 1M -2.3% 1Y
Market cap
$361.10B
P/E
11.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$121.10B
Div. yield
0.03%
Money Center Banks Financial Services
7 wins
AXP American Express Co
$313.06 +3.6% 1M -11.8% 1Y
Market cap
$212.01B
P/E
17.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$77.59B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Bank Of America leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Bank Of America 7, Morgan Stanley 3, American Express 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSBACAXPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $285.21B $361.10B $212.01B BAC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 14.6x 11.2x 17.3x BAC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.2x 11.1x 18.3x BAC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.0% +9.7% +10.2% MS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 25.0% 26.5% 15.8% BAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 12.0% 13.1% 19.6% AXP
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.9x -1.6x 0.5x BAC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.03% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +12.7% -2.3% -11.8% MS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.0%/yr +1.2%/yr +10.9%/yr MS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.5% 21.9% 26.1% BAC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 39/100 69/100 41/100 BAC

Percentile Scorecard

MSBACAXP

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

AxisMSBACAXP
Valuation 7 #337 of 361 96 #16 of 361 19 #293 of 361
Growth 88 #44 of 344 80 #69 of 344 36 #222 of 344
Profitability 25 #263 of 348 71 #102 of 348 61 #137 of 348
Financial Health 2 #332 of 340 20 #271 of 340 35 #222 of 340
Shareholder Returns 75 #88 of 352 77 #82 of 352 55 #159 of 352
Overall 39 69 41
  • MS ranked among 370 companies in Banking
  • BAC ranked among 370 companies in Banking
  • AXP ranked among 370 companies in Banking

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMSBACAXPSPY
1 month -9.5%-9.7%+3.6% -1.0%
3 months -16.3%-18.5%-4.1% +2.9%
6 months -4.6%-2.8%-0.3% +6.4%
Year to date +1.1%-8.1%-15.4% +11.4%
1 year +12.7%-2.3%-11.8% +13.1%
3 years +150.8%+98.5%+116.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +35.9%+25.7%+29.4% +21.5%
5 years +76.3%+6.3%+67.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year +12.0%+1.2%+10.9% +10.9%
10 years +436.8%+203.4%+364.8% +255.2%
10 years, per year +18.3%+11.7%+16.6% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMSBACAXPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.5%21.9%26.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%25.7%30.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.420.730.93 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.45-0.10-0.45 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.3%-49.0%-32.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.5%-22.0%-18.7% -2.5%
52-week high $228.55$64.82$384.89 $779.14
52-week low $154.37$46.72$292.27 $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.

MultipleMSBACAXP
P/E now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 12.5x 11.3xmedian 12.5x 17.2xmedian 12.5x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 3.5x 2.9xmedian 3.5x 2.7xmedian 3.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.3xmedian 4.8x 1.4xmedian 4.8x 8.8xmedian 4.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median -15.2xmedian 11.4x 3.7xmedian 11.4x 15.1xmedian 11.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 1.2x 1.2xmedian 1.2x 5.9xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.49median 1.48 1.40median 1.48 0.93median 1.48

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 monthsMSBACAXP
Revenue $78.04B $121.10B $77.59B
Net income $20.37B $33.66B $12.26B
Free cash flow -$18.58B $94.74B $13.91B
EPS (diluted) $12.46 $4.41 $18.18
Cash & equivalents $160.14B $229.75B $43.20B
Total debt $392.56B $399.84B $59.95B
Shares (diluted) 1.57B 7.29B 674.00M
Enterprise value -$223.89B -$2.01T $11.49B

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
MetricMSBACAXP
P/E 14.3x 11.3x 17.2x
P/FCF -15.2x 3.7x 15.1x
P/Operating cash flow -18.1x 3.7x 11.9x
P/S 3.6x 2.9x 2.7x
P/B 2.4x 1.2x 5.9x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 1.2x 5.9x
EV/EBITDA 6.3x 1.4x 8.8x
EV/EBIT 6.7x 1.4x 9.5x
EV/Revenue 6.6x 1.4x 2.9x
EV/FCF -27.7x 1.8x 15.9x
EV/Operating cash flow -33.0x 1.8x 12.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.49 1.40 0.93

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSBACAXP
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.0% 9.7% 10.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.3% 6.4% 9.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – – –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – –
Net income growth (1Y) 36.7% 20.5% 16.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 26.0% 4.2% 15.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 40.3% 27.5% 19.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 29.4% 8.0% 18.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 11.8% 517.8% -16.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.6% 28.5% -4.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 11.3% 517.8% -26.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.1% 28.5% -9.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSBACAXP
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 104.2% 99.4% 32.6%
Operating margin – – –
Pretax margin 33.5% 36.2% 19.9%
Net margin 25.0% 26.5% 15.8%
FCF margin -23.8% 78.2% 17.9%
Operating cash flow margin -20.0% 78.2% 22.7%
Return on equity 17.5% 11.2% 35.0%
Return on assets 1.3% 1.0% 4.0%
Return on invested capital 12.0% 13.1% 19.6%
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.0x 0.0x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -0.8x 2.8x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 2.6% 3.4% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSBACAXP
Debt / assets 23.4% 11.4% 19.3%
Debt / equity 3.3x 1.3x 1.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.9x -1.6x 0.5x
Debt / FCF -21.1x 4.2x 4.3x
Liabilities / assets 93.0% 91.4% 88.5%
Equity / assets 7.0% 8.6% 11.5%
Interest coverage 1.5x 1.6x 3.0x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSBACAXP
Dividend yield 2.3% 2.3% 1.2%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 6.6% 3.2%
Shareholder yield 4.9% 8.9% 4.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 29.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 10.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 2.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 3.5% –

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.

ConsensusMSBACAXP
Forward P/E 13.2xFY2026 11.1xFY2026 18.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.63FY2026 $4.57FY2026 $17.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +33.5%FY2026 +19.9%FY2026 +11.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -4.0% +19.0% +23.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $79.95BFY2026 $127.89BFY2026 $82.06BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.2%FY2026 +13.1%FY2026 +13.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.3% -2.5% -0.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSBACAXP
Held by institutions 85.7% 75.0% 84.9%
Institutions holding 2,740 3,612 3,008
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% +0.7% -0.3%
Institutions buying 1,466 1,825 1,473
Institutions selling 939 1,342 1,050
Buyers to sellers 1.56 1.36 1.40

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.

MSBACAXP
MS 1.00 0.66 0.55
BAC 0.66 1.00 0.58
AXP 0.55 0.58 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MS, BAC and AXP?

Bank Of America (BAC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Morgan Stanley (MS) $285.21B, Bank Of America (BAC) $361.10B, American Express (AXP) $212.01B.

Which stock is cheaper, MS, BAC and AXP?

Bank Of America (BAC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Morgan Stanley (MS) 14.6x, Bank Of America (BAC) 11.2x, American Express (AXP) 17.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Bank Of America (BAC) is cheapest (Morgan Stanley (MS) 13.2x, Bank Of America (BAC) 11.1x, American Express (AXP) 18.3x). 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: Morgan Stanley (MS) +18.0%, Bank Of America (BAC) +9.7%, American Express (AXP) +10.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Bank Of America (BAC) has the highest net margin (Morgan Stanley (MS) 25.0%, Bank Of America (BAC) 26.5%, American Express (AXP) 15.8%). On return on invested capital, American Express (AXP) leads (Morgan Stanley (MS) 12.0%, Bank Of America (BAC) 13.1%, American Express (AXP) 19.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Morgan Stanley (MS) returned the most: Morgan Stanley (MS) +12.7%, Bank Of America (BAC) -2.3%, American Express (AXP) -11.8%. Over five years, Morgan Stanley (MS) compounded fastest (Morgan Stanley (MS) +12.0%/yr, Bank Of America (BAC) +1.2%/yr, American Express (AXP) +10.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Morgan Stanley (MS) 0.00%, Bank Of America (BAC) 0.03%, American Express (AXP) 0.00%. Morgan Stanley (MS) and American Express (AXP) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Bank Of America (BAC) has been the steadiest (Morgan Stanley (MS) 28.5%, Bank Of America (BAC) 21.9%, American Express (AXP) 26.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Bank Of America (BAC) leads on 7. 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.