Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. MCO scored 76.0, MORN scored 75.0 — MCO leads.
Compare another set
MCO
Moody's Corporation
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges · Financial strength
58.9Fin
$464.23 · $80.4B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
0.3
MORN leads
MORN
Morningstar, Inc.
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges · Financial strength
59.2Fin
$204.45 · $7.7B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestMORN19.5x
Fastest growthMCO+11.7%
Strongest balance sheetMORN1.86
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
MCO
MORN
$3.0bB
FCF
$498mC
+11.7%B
Rev
+7.5%B
2.41C
D/E
1.86C
29.5xD
P/E
19.5xC
1.60C+
PEG
2.31C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
The companies
MCOMoody's Corporation
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges · $464.23 · beta 1.35
Why now
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges · market cap $80.4b. 15% off the 52-week high of $546.88. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $560.38 (implying +21% upside).
Moat
Net margin 34% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 92% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 106% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
D/E 2.41 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer.
MORNMorningstar, Inc.
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges · $204.45 · beta 1.02
Why now
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges · market cap $7.7b. 10% off the 52-week high of $227.51. 3 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $236.67 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
Net margin 16% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 32% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 118% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Common questions
Is MCO or MORN the better stock?
MCO scores higher: MCO 76.0, MORN 75.0 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
How are MCO and MORN scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.