Which is better, HLNE or MS?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Hamilton Lane Incorporated (HLNE) currently grades higher than MS — 76/100 (C grade) vs 59/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — HLNE wins on Warren Buffett, Philip Fisher, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; MS wins on Benjamin Graham and Peter Lynch. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy HLNE or MS?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both HLNE and MS 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 HLNE better than MS for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, HLNE currently grades higher — 76/100 vs 59/100, a 17-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 HLNE and MS 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). HLNE currently scores 76/100 (C grade); MS scores 59/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, HLNE or MS?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. HLNE and MS 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, HLNE or MS?

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 HLNE and MS both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both Hamilton Lane Incorporated (HLNE) and Morgan Stanley (MS) 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 HLNE vs MS 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

Hamilton Lane

Morgan Stanley

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

HLNE

Hamilton Lane

Market cap

$5.02B

Sector

Financials

Morgan Stanley

Market cap

$317.08B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

Hamilton Lane HLNE

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

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	HLNE	MS	Winner
Warren Buffett	76C	59D	HLNE
Benjamin Graham	65B	69C	MS
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	HLNE	MS
Market cap	$5.02B	$317.08B
P/E (TTM)	14.1x	17.3x
EV/EBIT	15.7x	26.3x
ROIC (TTM)	14.52%	1.94%
Gross margin	69.23%	57.99%
Net margin	30.59%	15.13%
Revenue CAGR 5y	20.19%

Where each one wins

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

HLNE leads on

Debt / Equity0.4xvs 3.4x+88%
ROIC (TTM)14.52%vs 1.94%+87%
EPS CAGR 5y17.91%vs 6.1%+66%
Net margin30.59%vs 15.13%

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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.