Which is better, MSCI or UMBF?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, MSCI Inc. (MSCI) currently grades higher than UMBF — 80/100 (A grade) vs 55/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — MSCI wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; UMBF wins on none. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy MSCI or UMBF?

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

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MSCI currently grades higher — 80/100 vs 55/100, a 25-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 MSCI and UMBF 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). MSCI currently scores 80/100 (A grade); UMBF scores 55/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, MSCI or UMBF?

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

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 MSCI and UMBF both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both MSCI Inc. (MSCI) and UMB Financial Corporation (UMBF) 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 MSCI vs UMBF 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

MSCI

UMB Financial

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

MSCI

Market cap

$42.85B

Sector

Financials

UMBF

UMB Financial

Market cap

$9.97B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

MSCI MSCI

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

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	MSCI	UMBF	Winner
Warren Buffett	80A	55D	MSCI
Benjamin Graham	71B	31F	MSCI
Philip Fisher	82A	54C	MSCI
Peter Lynch	70B	51C	MSCI
Joel Greenblatt	80A	27F	MSCI
Charlie Munger	87C	49D	MSCI
Terry Smith	88C	47D	MSCI

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MSCI	UMBF
Market cap	$42.85B	$9.97B
P/E (TTM)	31.2x	10.7x
EV/EBIT	27.5x	14.2x
ROIC (TTM)	38.53%	1.02%
Gross margin	82.86%	56.67%
Net margin	40.74%	19.79%
Revenue CAGR 5y	11.29%	37.53%
EPS CAGR 5y	15.35%	5.92%
Debt / Equity	-	0.5x
Dividend yield	1.37%	1.33%

Where each one wins

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

MSCI leads on

Debt / Equity-vs 0.5x+122%
ROIC (TTM)38.53%vs 1.02%+97%
Market cap$42.85Bvs $9.97B+77%
EPS CAGR 5y15.35%vs 5.92%+61%

UMBF leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y37.53%vs 11.29%+70%
P/E (TTM)10.7xvs 31.2x+66%
EV/EBIT14.2xvs 27.5x+48%

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

MSCI

UMB Financial

Fit scores by strategy

Side-by-side metrics

Where each one wins

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Key terms in this analysis