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Side-by-side financial comparison of HSBC HOLDINGS PLC (HSBC) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($28.6B vs $17.9B, roughly 1.6× Morgan Stanley). HSBC HOLDINGS PLC runs the higher net margin — 25.7% vs 24.6%, a 1.1% gap on every dollar of revenue.

HSBC Holdings plc is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business links to East Asia and a multinational footprint. It is the largest Europe-based bank by total assets, ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$3.098 trillion as of September 2024. This also puts it as the 7th largest bank in the world by total assets behind Bank of America, and the 3rd largest non-state owned bank in the world.

Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients include corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley ranked No. 61 in the 2023 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue and in the same year ranked No. 30 in the Forbes Global 2000.

HSBC vs MS — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
HSBC
HSBC
1.6× larger
HSBC
$28.6B
$17.9B
MS
Higher net margin
HSBC
HSBC
1.1% more per $
HSBC
25.7%
24.6%
MS

Income Statement — Q4 FY2024 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Revenue
$28.6B
$17.9B
Net Profit
$7.3B
$4.4B
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
33.1%
32.2%
Net Margin
25.7%
24.6%
Revenue YoY
Net Profit YoY
EPS (diluted)
$0.36
$2.68

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$17.9B
Q3 25
$18.2B
Q2 25
$16.8B
Q1 25
$28.6B
$17.7B
Q3 24
$15.4B
Q2 24
$15.0B
Q1 24
$15.1B
Net Profit
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$4.4B
Q3 25
$4.6B
Q2 25
$3.5B
Q1 25
$7.3B
$4.3B
Q3 24
$3.2B
Q2 24
$3.1B
Q1 24
$3.4B
Operating Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
32.2%
Q3 25
33.1%
Q2 25
27.5%
Q1 25
33.1%
31.3%
Q3 24
27.4%
Q2 24
27.1%
Q1 24
29.0%
Net Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
24.6%
Q3 25
25.3%
Q2 25
21.1%
Q1 25
25.7%
24.3%
Q3 24
20.7%
Q2 24
20.5%
Q1 24
22.5%
EPS (diluted)
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$2.68
Q3 25
$2.80
Q2 25
$2.13
Q1 25
$0.36
$2.60
Q3 24
$1.88
Q2 24
$1.82
Q1 24
$2.02

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$434.9B
$111.7B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$341.7B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$192.3B
$111.6B
Total Assets
$3017.0B
$1420.3B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
3.06×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$111.7B
Q3 25
$103.7B
Q2 25
$109.1B
Q1 25
$434.9B
$90.7B
Q3 24
$91.1B
Q2 24
$90.2B
Q1 24
$102.3B
Total Debt
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$341.7B
Q3 25
$324.1B
Q2 25
$320.1B
Q1 25
$297.0B
Q3 24
$291.2B
Q2 24
$269.9B
Q1 24
$266.1B
Stockholders' Equity
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$111.6B
Q3 25
$110.0B
Q2 25
$108.2B
Q1 25
$192.3B
$106.8B
Q3 24
$103.6B
Q2 24
$100.7B
Q1 24
$99.2B
Total Assets
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$1420.3B
Q3 25
$1364.8B
Q2 25
$1353.9B
Q1 25
$3017.0B
$1300.3B
Q3 24
$1258.0B
Q2 24
$1212.4B
Q1 24
$1228.5B
Debt / Equity
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
3.06×
Q3 25
2.95×
Q2 25
2.96×
Q1 25
2.78×
Q3 24
2.81×
Q2 24
2.68×
Q1 24
2.68×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$65.3B
$-2.4B
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$64.0B
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
223.9%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
4.7%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
8.90×
-0.55×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
$-2.4B
Q3 25
$-3.3B
Q2 25
$11.8B
Q1 25
$65.3B
$-24.0B
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
$4.4B
Free Cash Flow
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
$64.0B
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
FCF Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
223.9%
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
Capex Intensity
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
4.7%
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
Cash Conversion
HSBC
HSBC
MS
MS
Q4 25
-0.55×
Q3 25
-0.72×
Q2 25
3.34×
Q1 25
8.90×
-5.56×
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
1.28×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

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