Analyses / V vs MA
V vs MA
A head-to-head on Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc — valuation, the setup, and the case for each. Tap either ticker for the full trade brief.
Side by Side
| V | MA | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Visa Inc | Mastercard Inc |
| Price | $362.13 | $539.39 |
| Today | — | — |
| Valuation | OVERVALUED relative to near-term upside, but fair for quality/growth if AI thesis holds | Premium, justified by growth |
| Valuation score | 58/100 | 68/100 |
| Setup | Quality Growth / Momentum Continuation | Growth / Quality Compounder |
| Confidence | 72 | 72 |
| Category | Large Cap | Large Cap |
The Case for Each
V
Bull: Visa commands 80%+ gross margins and 50%+ net margins—nearly recession-proof float-based economics. EPS growth 13.4% YoY, 15.9% 5Y CAGR; revenue 10.9% YoY. AI-enabled agentic commerce (e.g. eDreams partnership) and embedded payments expand TAM. 52-week high suggests institutional conviction; low 0.77 beta acts as portfolio stabilizer. Dividend 0.76% yield + steady 23% payout ratio signals confidence.
Bear: P/E 30x, forward 33x, and P/S 16.7x command premium valuations rare outside mega-cap tech. P/FCF 31x leaves little margin for error. Insider selling (77 sells vs 75 buys) hints at elevated prices. Consumer spending cycles, recession risk, or fintech disruption (crypto adoption, embedded banking) could compress margins. At 52-week highs with no pullback, entry risk is material.
MA
Bull: MA trades at 30x P/E but grows EPS 17% YoY and 21% CAGR 5Y; net margin 45.6% and operating margin 57.6% show pricing power. Revenue +13.8% YoY, +16.5% CAGR 5Y. Digital payments tailwind durable; low beta (0.75) provides stability. Insider buys (54 buys vs 89 sells, +349K vs -185K shares) suggest confidence. Dividend aristocrat trajectory (0.6% yield, 18% payout ratio, room to grow).
Bear: P/E 30x, forward 31x, and P/S 14.3x are stretched vs historical range; up 16% from 52w low, near 52w high of $602. P/B 66x and price-to-FCF 28.5x reflect full valuation. Insider sells outnumber buys 89:54 (net sell activity). Economic slowdown or payment volume contraction could compress multiples. Few near-term catalysts in headlines.
Compare any two stocks, live
Run real-time analysis on V, MA, or any of 5,000+ tickers — free.
Open Sigma Terminal →