KKR & Co. Inc. vs MORGAN STANLEY, two Financial Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
KKR manages alternative assets, and its GAAP figures understate the economics: reported returns are low and the stock trades at just 1.03 times book, roughly its stated equity. It keeps a 14.33% net margin, carries no net debt, and pays 0.81%. Morgan Stanley is a diversified investment bank with a wealth arm, earning 15.7% on equity at a 24.65% margin, priced at 19.21 times earnings and 2.90 times book with 3.15 debt-to-equity. The dividend favors Morgan Stanley, 1.82% against 0.81%. Buying KKR near book is a bet the fee machine is worth more than accounting shows; Morgan Stanley is priced on visible returns.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | KKR | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $96.95 | $222.17 |
| Market cap | $86.2B | $350.1B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| P/E | — | 20.1 |
| P/B | 1.11 | 3.03 |
| P/S | 4.17 | 4.76 |
| EV/EBITDA | — | 811.8 |
| Revenue growth | +38.1% | +14.1% |
| Net margin | 14.3% | 24.6% |
| Return on equity | 3.8% | 15.7% |
| Return on assets | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | 1.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 3.15 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 0.25 | 0.30 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 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.