Morgan Stanley vs Banco Santander SA — how do they compare? Morgan Stanley trades at $215.39 (market cap $338.50B), while Banco Santander SA trades at $14.78 (market cap $211.88B). The key difference: Morgan Stanley is the larger of the two by market cap, and Morgan Stanley pays the higher dividend (2.14%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MS | SAN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $338.50B | $211.88B |
Sector | Financials | Financials |
52-Week High | $228.42 | $14.71 |
52-Week Low | $144.04 | $9.37 |
Dividend Yield | 2.14% | 1.89% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Morgan Stanley (MS) trades at $215.1, down 0.54% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and key support at $214. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 EPS of $3.46 surpassing expectations of $2.89. Revenue growth accelerated to $66.0B in 2025, and net income margin improved to 25.56%. Recent news highlights Morgan Stanley's role in leading Anthropic's IPO and expanding AI integration in wealth management.
The outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $239.58, implying 11% upside. Strengths include robust profitability and strategic initiatives, but risks involve volatile cash flows from operations and high leverage. Analyst sentiment is bullish with 56% buy ratings, though investors should monitor debt levels and market volatility.
Banco Santander (SAN) trades at $14.70, up 0.34% today, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a P/E of 14.39, net income margin of 26.25% for 2026, and record profits in H1 2026. Recent news highlights Federal Reserve approval for its $12 billion Webster Bank acquisition, expected to close August 20, 2026, and its rise as Spain's most valuable company.
Outlook is positive given analyst consensus (64% buy ratings), solid profitability, and strategic acquisitions, but risks include regulatory scrutiny in Spain, volatile cash flows, and earnings misses in two of the last three quarters. The stock offers value with growth potential amid integration execution and macroeconomic uncertainties.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had about $5 trillion of client assets as well as over 70,000 employees at the end of 2021. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.
Read more on MS →Santander's focus is on retail and commercial banking. Latin America is geographically the largest operation, with Brazil by far the largest. Its continental European business is still mainly Iberian. Santander's U.K. presence is the result of the acquisition of building society Abbey. In the U.S., Santander operates a vehicle finance business and a regional bank focused on the Northeastern states.
Read more on SAN →