BlackRock, Inc. vs MORGAN STANLEY, two Financial Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Asset gathering and investment banking sit on opposite ends of the capital-intensity scale, and these two show it. BlackRock manages money for a fee, keeps its balance sheet light at 0.22 debt-to-equity, and earns 10.99% on equity at a 24.4% margin. Morgan Stanley runs trading, advisory, and wealth desks with far more leverage, 3.15 debt-to-equity, and pulls 15.7% on equity at a 24.65% margin. The market pays 24.25 times earnings for BlackRock and 19.21 times for Morgan Stanley. On book value it is 2.79 times against 2.90 times. BlackRock yields 2.16%, Morgan Stanley 1.82%. Similar prices, different machinery underneath.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | BLK | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1035.98 | $222.17 |
| Market cap | $170.9B | $350.1B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| P/E | 26.1 | 20.1 |
| P/B | 3.00 | 3.03 |
| P/S | 6.67 | 4.76 |
| EV/EBITDA | 21.3 | 811.8 |
| Revenue growth | +22.1% | +14.1% |
| Operating margin | 42.0% | — |
| Net margin | 24.4% | 24.6% |
| Return on equity | 11.0% | 15.7% |
| Return on assets | 3.7% | 1.1% |
| Dividend yield | 2.0% | 1.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.22 | 3.15 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.16 | 0.30 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.