Sifting through countless of stocks in the Capital Markets industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Raymond James Financial, Inc. or Morgan Stanley because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley

Raymond James Financial, Inc., a diversified financial services company, provides private client group, capital markets, asset management, banking, and other services to individuals, corporations, and municipalities in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Private Client Group segment offers financial planning, investment advisory, securities transaction, investment services, portfolio management services, insurance and annuity products, and mutual funds; support to third-party mutual fund and annuity companies, including sales and marketing support, as well as distribution and accounting, and administrative services; margin loans; securities borrowing and lending services; and custodial, trade execution, research, and other support and services. The Capital Markets segment provides investment banking services, such as equity and debt underwriting, and merger and acquisition advisory; and fixed income and equity brokerage services. This segment also offers institutional sales, securities trading, equity research, and the syndication and management of investments in low-income housing funds and funds of a similar nature. The Asset Management segment provides asset management, portfolio management, and related administrative services to retail and institutional clients; and administrative support services, such as record-keeping. The Bank segment offers various types of loans, including securities-based, corporate, commercial and industrial, commercial real estate and construction, real estate investment trust, residential mortgage, and tax-exempt loans; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured deposit accounts; retail and corporate deposit; and liquidity management products and services. The Other segment engages in the private equity investments comprising investments in third-party funds. The company offers corporate, retail banking and trust services. Raymond James Financial, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. The company offers capital raising and financial advisory services, including services related to the underwriting of debt, equity securities, and other products, as well as advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and project finance. It also provides equity and fixed income products comprising sales, financing, prime brokerage, and market-making services; Asia wealth management; business-related investments services; originating corporate and commercial real estate loans, secured lending facilities, and extending securities-based and other financing; and research activities. In addition, the company offers financial advisor-led brokerage, investment advisory, custody, cash management, and administrative services; self-directed brokerage services; financial and wealth planning services; stock plan administration; securities-based lending, residential real estate loans, and other lending products; banking; and retirement plan services. Further, it provides equity, fixed income, alternatives and solutions, and liquidity and overlay services to benefit/defined contribution plans, foundations, endowments, government entities, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, third-party fund sponsors, corporations, and individuals. Morgan Stanley was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Latest Capital Markets and Raymond James Financial, Inc., Morgan Stanley Stock News

As of April 24, 2026, Raymond James Financial, Inc. had a $30.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Capital Markets median of $3.5 million. Raymond James Financial, Inc.’s stock is down 3.2% in 2026, up 2.1% in the previous five trading days and up 13.37% in the past year.

Currently, Raymond James Financial, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 15.0. Raymond James Financial, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $14.2 billion with a 14.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $11.780 per share for the current fiscal year. Raymond James Financial, Inc. currently has a 1.4% dividend yield.

As of April 24, 2026, Morgan Stanley had a $297.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 99th percentile of all stocks. Morgan Stanley’s stock is up 6.5% in 2026, down 0.8% in the previous five trading days and up 67.46% in the past year.

Currently, Morgan Stanley’s price-earnings ratio is 18.4. Morgan Stanley’s trailing 12-month revenue is $70.3 billion with a 24.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 11.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $11.819 per share for the current fiscal year. Morgan Stanley currently has a 2.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Raymond James Financial, Inc.	RJF	C
Morgan Stanley	MS	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Raymond James Financial, Inc. has a Growth Score of 60, which is Average. Morgan Stanley has a Growth Score of 49, which is Average.

The Growth Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Raymond James Financial, Inc. or Morgan Stanley has a high enough Growth Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Raymond James Financial, Inc. or Morgan Stanley is the better investment when it comes to sustainable growth.

Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Raymond James Financial, Inc.	RJF	D
Morgan Stanley	MS	B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Raymond James Financial, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 38, which is Weak. Morgan Stanley has a Momentum Score of 71, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Morgan Stanley

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Morgan Stanley is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Raymond James Financial, Inc.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Morgan Stanley could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Raymond James Financial, Inc.	RJF	D
Morgan Stanley	MS	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Raymond James Financial, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 34, which is Negative. Morgan Stanley has a Earnings Estimate Score of 77, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Morgan Stanley

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Morgan Stanley has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Raymond James Financial, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Morgan Stanley could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley Grades

In addition to Momentum, Estimate Revisions and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Raymond James Financial, Inc. or Morgan Stanley Stock?

Overall, Raymond James Financial, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 60, Momentum Score of 38 and Estimate Revisions Score of 34.

Morgan Stanley stock has a Growth Score of 49, Momentum Score of 71 and Estimate Revisions Score of 77.

Comparing Raymond James Financial, Inc. and Morgan Stanley’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.