Which is better, FRME or MCO?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Moody's Corporation (MCO) currently grades higher than FRME — 71/100 (B grade) vs 57/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — FRME wins on none; MCO wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy FRME or MCO?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both FRME and MCO are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is FRME better than MCO for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MCO currently grades higher — 71/100 vs 57/100, a 14-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between FRME and MCO on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). FRME currently scores 57/100 (D grade); MCO scores 71/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, FRME or MCO?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. FRME and MCO are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, FRME or MCO?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are FRME and MCO both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both First Merchants Corporation (FRME) and Moody's Corporation (MCO) operate in the Financial Services sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this FRME vs MCO comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

First Merchants

Moody's

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

FRME

First Merchants

Market cap

$2.53B

Sector

Financials

MCO

Moody's

Market cap

$78.46B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

Moody's MCO

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	FRME	MCO	Winner
Warren Buffett	57D	71B	MCO
Benjamin Graham	44D	83A	MCO
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	FRME	MCO
Market cap	$2.53B	$78.46B
P/E (TTM)	12.4x	30.4x
EV/EBIT	15.8x	23.4x
ROIC (TTM)	7.49%	23.11%
Gross margin	60.47%	69.69%
Net margin	18.9%	31.69%
Revenue CAGR 5y	17.24%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

FRME leads on

Debt / Equity0.6xvs 2.4x+75%
Dividend yield3.56%vs 0.92%+74%
Revenue CAGR 5y17.24%vs 5.55%+68%
P/E (TTM)12.4xvs 30.4x

More like FRME

FRME vs MSCI FRME vs V FRME vs MA FRME vs PLMR FRME vs TW FRME vs MKTX

More like MCO

MCO vs MSCI

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.