LIVE
MA
Mastercard Incorporated · Financials
$489.79
-1.98% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
V
Visa Inc. · Financials
$327.24
-0.81% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
MA
3
V
2
Comparison scoreboard
MA LEADS 3/5AI Score
MA ✓50.4
V 49.8
1Y Return
MA -13.99%
V ✓-8.55%
Fwd P/E
MA ✓21.51
V 21.69
Target Up.
MA ✓+31.62%
V +23.71%
Op. Margin
MA 60.84%
V ✓67.35%
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
MA vs V Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Mastercard and Visa are the closest possible investment peers — a true payment network duopoly with near-identical business models, margins, and competitive positions. Both earn transaction fees on global payment volume; both face identical regulatory, technological, and competitive pressures. Mastercard's value-added services revenue has grown slightly faster; Visa has marginally larger acceptance network. For practical purposes, investors choosing between MA and V are making a marginal distinction within an exceptional duopoly.
MA vs V is Mastercard versus Visa — essentially the same payment network duopoly business model with near-identical returns, margins, and growth rates; the choice is more about which stock has marginally better value or which company's services strategy (Mastercard's B2B focus vs Visa Direct's push payment growth) investors prefer.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
MA holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. V has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-8.55% vs -13.99%), though MA trades at the lower forward P/E (21.51x vs 21.69x). V leads on both revenue growth (17.10%) and operating margin (67.35%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for MA (+31.62%) than for V (+23.71%).
Normalized 1Y performance
MA
V
Recent returns
MA
V
Analyst price targets & sentiment
MA · 38 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.8/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$500.00
analyst high$690.00
analyst mean$644.89
current price$489.79
+31.6% upside to analyst mean
V · 40 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.7/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$289.00
analyst high$425.00
analyst mean$398.83
current price$327.24
+23.7% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
MA may suit investors who:
- →prefer Mastercard's slightly more aggressive value-added services strategy in cybersecurity, data analytics, and real-time B2B payment infrastructure
- →value Mastercard's Vocalink acquisition giving exposure to UK Faster Payments real-time infrastructure as a model for future payment rail diversification
- →want payment network exposure with the assumption that MA and V will deliver nearly identical long-term returns, making either an excellent holding
- →are comfortable with Visa's slightly larger acceptance network scale and the effectively equivalent risk profile of both duopoly members
V may suit investors who:
- →prefer the marginally larger payment network with the highest global brand recognition for card acceptance — the reference 'card network' brand globally
- →value Visa Direct's push payment growth as a specific real-time payment strategy targeting gig economy, remittances, and insurance payout flows
- →want the single largest-scale card network by volume as the anchor payment infrastructure holding in a portfolio
- →are comfortable with near-identical competitive positioning to Mastercard — the choice is essentially between two excellent equivalents
Performance & AI score
| Metric | MA | V |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 50.4 | 49.8 |
| AI rank | #447 | #483 |
| Latest close | $489.79 | $327.24 |
| 1M return | -1.98% | -0.81% |
| 6M return | -13.38% | -4.99% |
| 1Y return | -13.99% | -8.55% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | MA | V |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.09K (-9.1%) started 2025-06-18 | $9.61K (-3.9%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $13.75K (+37.5%) started 2021-06-21 | $14.82K (+48.2%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $57.83K (+478.3%) started 2016-06-20 | $48.05K (+380.5%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | MA | V |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $432.94B | $613.1B |
| Trailing P/E | 28.32 | 28.08 |
| Forward P/E | 21.51 | 21.69 |
| Price/Sales | 18.43 | 18.85 |
| EV/Revenue | 13.07 | 14.37 |
| Analyst target | $644.89 | $398.83 |
| Target upside | +31.62% | +23.71% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | MA | V |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 15.80% | 17.10% |
| Earnings growth | 21.20% | 35.50% |
| EPS growth | +21.20% | +35.50% |
| FCF margin | +47.58% | +48.43% |
| Operating margin | 60.84% | 67.35% |
| Profit margin | 45.88% | 51.68% |
| ROIC proxy | 232.08% | 60.35% |
| Return on equity | 232.08% | 60.35% |
| Dividend yield | 0.71% | 0.83% |
| Beta | 0.74 | 0.77 |
| Debt/equity | 282.06 | 67.23 |
| Current ratio | 0.98 | 1.09 |
| Quick ratio | 0.56 | 0.67 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
MA max drawdown21.27%
V max drawdown17.65%
MA max wkly drop6.45%
V max wkly drop8.30%
5Y risk snapshot
MA max drawdown28.25%
V max drawdown28.60%
MA max wkly drop13.28%
V max wkly drop11.76%
10Y risk snapshot
MA max drawdown41.00%
V max drawdown36.36%
MA max wkly drop21.70%
V max wkly drop16.49%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | MA | V |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -9.08% | -3.86% |
| CAGR | -9.10% | -3.87% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.55 | -0.29 | |
| Max drawdown | 21.27% | 17.65% | |
| Max daily drop | 5.77% | 4.50% | |
| Max wkly drop | 6.45% | 8.30% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +34.36% | +43.84% |
| CAGR | +6.09% | +7.55% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.18 | 0.24 | |
| Max drawdown | 28.25% | 28.60% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.69% | 7.74% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.28% | 11.76% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +447.61% | +350.45% |
| CAGR | +18.55% | +16.25% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.60 | 0.56 | |
| Max drawdown | 41.00% | 36.36% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.73% | 13.55% | |
| Max wkly drop | 21.70% | 16.49% |
Business comparison
| Category | MA | V |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Mastercard Incorporated | Visa Inc. |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Industry | Credit Services | Credit Services |
| Core business | Mastercard is the world's second-largest payment network, operating alongside Visa in a near-duopoly that controls global card payment infrastructure. Mastercard processes transactions between financial institutions, merchants, and cardholders in 210+ countries. Mastercard's services business — data analytics, fraud management, cybersecurity, and digital identity solutions — is growing faster than the core transaction network and commands higher margins. Mastercard has been particularly aggressive in building value-added services revenue. | Visa is the world's largest payment network by volume, with slightly larger global acceptance than Mastercard. Visa operates the VisaNet payment processing network connecting 15,000+ financial institutions, 4.3B cardholders, and 100M+ merchant locations. Visa's value-added services (Visa Direct for real-time push payments, cybersecurity, data analytics) are also growing. Visa and Mastercard together control 85%+ of global card payment volume outside China. |
| Investor focus | Investors track payment volume growth, cross-border payment volume (high-margin international transactions recovering with travel), and value-added services revenue growth as a higher-margin revenue stream beyond core network fees. | Investors track payment volume growth, cross-border volume (highest margin), value-added services, and Visa Direct (real-time push payment platform) transaction growth. |
MA strengths
- →Near-identical competitive position to Visa with global network acceptance — any advantage in one country is usually offset by Visa's advantage in another
- →Value-added services (cybersecurity, data analytics, real-time payments infrastructure) growing faster than core network fees and carry higher margins
- →Strong position in cross-border B2B payments through Mastercard Send and Vocalink real-time payment network acquisitions positioning Mastercard in new payment flows
V strengths
- →Slightly larger global acceptance network than Mastercard gives Visa marginal advantage in global card issuance competition — issuers choose Visa for the marginally wider acceptance
- →Visa Direct processes 8B+ real-time push payment transactions annually — expanding Visa's utility beyond traditional card pull payments to gig economy payouts, insurance claims, and remittances
- →The most recognized payment brand globally — Visa acceptance mark is the reference brand in markets where consumers think 'credit card'
Risks to watch — MA
- →Visa's larger network slightly favors Visa in global acceptance head-to-head comparisons — Mastercard is always second in scale
- →Real-time payment networks (RTP, FedNow in the US; Faster Payments in UK; UPI in India) create alternative payment rails that bypass Mastercard's card network
- →Regulatory interchange fee pressure continues in the EU and Australia, potentially compressing per-transaction economics
Risks to watch — V
- →Near-identical to Mastercard in competitive positioning — differentiation within the duopoly is marginal
- →Real-time payment alternatives (FedNow, PIX, UPI) reduce card payment relevance in some markets — Visa must adapt to non-card payment flows through Visa Direct and partnerships
- →Continued interchange regulation could reduce per-transaction economics in regulated markets like the EU
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