Which is better, MCO or SPY?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Moody's Corporation (MCO) currently grades higher than SPY — 71/100 (B grade) vs 50/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — MCO wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; SPY wins on none. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy MCO or SPY?

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

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MCO currently grades higher — 71/100 vs 50/100, a 21-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 MCO and SPY 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). MCO currently scores 71/100 (B grade); SPY scores 50/100 (C grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, MCO or SPY?

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

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 MCO and SPY both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both Moody's Corporation (MCO) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) 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 MCO vs SPY 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

Moody's

S&P 500 ETF

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

MCO

Moody's

Market cap

$78.46B

Sector

Financials

SPY

S&P 500 ETF

Market cap

$770.72B

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	MCO	SPY	Winner
Warren Buffett	71B	50C	MCO
Benjamin Graham	83A	50C	MCO
Philip Fisher	62C	50C	MCO
Peter Lynch	68B	50C	MCO
Joel Greenblatt	58C	50C	MCO
Charlie Munger	79B	50C	MCO
Terry Smith	75B	50C	MCO

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MCO	SPY
Market cap	$78.46B	$770.72B
P/E (TTM)	30.4x	-
EV/EBIT	23.4x	-
ROIC (TTM)	23.11%	-
Gross margin	69.69%	-
Net margin	31.69%	-
Revenue CAGR 5y	5.55%	-
EPS CAGR 5y	3.68%	-
Debt / Equity	2.4x	-
Dividend yield	0.92%	-

Where each one wins

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

MCO leads on

No clear edges - the other side wins or ties on every measured metric.

SPY leads on

Market cap$770.72Bvs $78.46B+90%

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

Moody's

S&P 500 ETF

Fit scores by strategy

Side-by-side metrics

Where each one wins

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Key terms in this analysis