MORGAN STANLEY vs SCHWAB CHARLES CORP, two Financial Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Morgan Stanley pairs investment banking with wealth management, earning 15.7% on equity at a 24.65% net margin, and carries real leverage at 3.15 debt-to-equity. Charles Schwab runs retail brokerage and custody, a more standardized business that keeps a fatter 37.99% net margin, returns 19.14% on equity, and holds far less debt at 0.42. The market pays 19.21 times earnings for Morgan Stanley and 17.94 times for Schwab, but Schwab trades higher on book at 3.21 times against 2.90. Morgan Stanley pays a larger dividend, 1.82% against 1.2%, while Schwab's 6.11% free-cash yield reflects the cash a custody platform generates.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MS | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $222.17 | $103.13 |
| Market cap | $350.1B | $180.7B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| P/E | 20.1 | 20.5 |
| P/B | 3.03 | 3.67 |
| P/S | 4.76 | 7.28 |
| EV/EBITDA | 811.8 | — |
| Revenue growth | +14.1% | +21.5% |
| Net margin | 24.6% | 38.0% |
| Return on equity | 15.7% | 19.1% |
| Return on assets | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| Dividend yield | 1.7% | 1.1% |
| Debt / equity | 3.15 | 0.42 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 0.30 | 0.42 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 9 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
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.