Morgan StanleyXSWX:MS 71 Debt-to-Equity is 3.45 as of Mar. 2026, which is 35% above its 10-year median of 2.55. GuruFocus rates XSWX:MS with a GF Score™ of 71/100 and a GF Value™ of CHF123.75. The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 608 Capital Markets companies, Morgan Stanley ranks worse than 94.41% on this metric.
A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
XSWX:MS'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2.12 Med: 2.55 Max: 3.45
Current: 3.45
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Morgan Stanley was 3.45. The lowest was 2.12. And the median was 2.55.
XSWX:MS's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 94.41% of 608
companies
in the Capital Markets industry
Industry Median: 0.31
vs XSWX:MS: 3.45
Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) Debt-to-Equity Explanation
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Morgan Stanley Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Morgan Stanley Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
XSWX:MS vs GS, SCHW, HOOD: Debt-to-Equity Comparison
For the Capital Markets subindustry, Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Morgan Stanley Debt-to-Equity vs Capital Markets Industry
For the Capital Markets industry and Financial Services sector, Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) has a Debt-to-Equity of 3.45 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Morgan Stanley and its competitors. This is 35% above median its historical median of 2.55. Over the past decade, Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 2.12 to 3.45. According to the industry distribution chart, Morgan Stanley ranks #574 out of 608 companies in the Capital Markets industry, placing it in the top 94.4%.
Is Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Morgan Stanley's current Debt-to-Equity of 3.45 is 35% above median its 10-year median of 2.55. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.12 to a high of 3.45. The Capital Markets industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.31. Morgan Stanley's value of 3.45 is 1012.9% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Morgan Stanley ranks #574 out of 608 companies in the Capital Markets industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Morgan Stanley has a GF Score™ of 71/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Morgan Stanley's Debt-to-Equity compare to GS and SCHW?
According to the Capital Markets industry distribution chart, Morgan Stanley ranks #574 out of 608 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Morgan Stanley in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.31. Morgan Stanley's value of 3.45 is 1012.9% above this benchmark. Historically, Morgan Stanley's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 2.12 to 3.45 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 2.55 vs. the industry median of 0.31, Morgan Stanley has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Capital Markets company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Capital Markets companies is 0.31, based on 608 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Morgan Stanley's current Debt-to-Equity of 3.45 is 1012.9% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Morgan Stanley and its competitors. For the Capital Markets industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.31 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Morgan Stanley's current Debt-to-Equity is 3.45, which is 35% above median its own 10-year median of 2.55. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Morgan Stanley stock overvalued right now?
Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) has a current Debt-to-Equity of 3.45. The stock's GF Value™ is CHF123.75, compared to a current price of CHF178.42 — trading 44.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 3.45, which is 35% above median its 10-year median of 2.55 and 1012.9% above the Capital Markets industry median of 0.31. Morgan Stanley's overall GF Score™ is 71/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS), the current Debt-to-Equity is 3.45 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Morgan Stanley (XSWX:MS) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Morgan Stanley stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of CHF178.42 is trading 44.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of CHF123.75.
Key valuation signals for XSWX:MS:
Debt-to-Equity: 3.45 (35% above median its 10-year median of 2.55)
GF Value™: CHF123.75 vs. price of CHF178.42 (44.2% above fair value)
Industry Position: 1012.9% above the Capital Markets median (#574 of 608)
No single metric tells the full story. See the XSWX:MS stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Morgan Stanley is a massive global financial services firm, with offices in 42 countries and more than 82,000 employees as of year-end 2025. The firm cut its teeth in investment banking and institutional trading, where it maintains a strong presence today, but generates the lion share of its income from wealth and asset management franchises, where it boasted $9.3 trillion in client assets at the end of 2025. After reincorporation as a bank holding company in the wake of the global financial crisis, Morgan Stanley also boasts a top 10 banking franchise by deposits, with more than $400 billion in customer deposits, predominately attributable to cash sweeps from its wealth management and brokerage businesses.
71GF Score
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