Mastercard or Visa: which stock is cheaper in 2026?
As of October 5, 2026, Mastercard (MA) trades at 30.4× earnings (P/E) and Visa (V) at 30.7×, according to Kaplio. The median across the 334 financial services companies above $2bn in Kaplio's universe is 12.8×. Kaplio's verdict: Mastercard, fairly priced; Visa, fairly priced. Value range by multiples: $233–$744 for Mastercard and $151–$416 for Visa. Against its own value range, Mastercard is the cheaper of the two today.
According to the Kaplio Summary
The same verdict as each company's page: price range by multiples, the four lights, the expected return if consensus is right and what Buffett and Lynch would say today.
| Mastercard (MA) | Visa (V) | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary valuation | fairly priced ($233–$744) | fairly priced ($151–$416) |
| The four lights | Valuation: P/E 30.4× (fairly priced) Business: ROE 232.5 % (excellent) Balance sheet: Debt/Equity 4.39 (fragile) Results: 8 of 8 (on track) | Valuation: P/E 30.7× (fairly priced) Business: ROE 61.3 % (excellent) Balance sheet: Debt/Equity 0.68 (fragile) Results: 8 of 8 (on track) |
| Expected return (per year) | +22.2 % a year (to 2028) | +19.3 % a year (to 2029) |
| Buffett method | quality 100 · would wait | quality 97 · would wait |
| Lynch method | stalwart · would wait | stalwart · would wait |
Metrics side by side
| Metric | Mastercard (MA) | Visa (V) |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Market Cap | $484B | $673B |
| Price | $552.26 | $360.66 |
| Valuation | ||
| P/E | 30.4× | 30.7× |
| P/B | 86.8× | 20.1× |
| P/S | 13.8× | 15.5× |
| EV/EBITDA | 22.5× | 23.5× |
| FCF Yield | 3.4 % | 3.1 % |
| Dividend Yield | 0.6 % | 0.7 % |
| Profitability | ||
| ROIC | 48.1 % | 34.2 % |
| ROE | — | 61.3 % |
| Gross Margin | 100.0 % | 80.2 % |
| Operating Margin | 59.8 % | 60.7 % |
| Net Margin | 46.3 % | 50.8 % |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue 5Y CAGR | 16.5 % | 12.9 % |
| EPS 5Y CAGR | 20.9 % | 15.8 % |
| FCF 5Y CAGR | 21.0 % | 17.3 % |
| Balance Sheet | ||
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 0.6× | 0.4× |
| Debt / Equity | 4.4× | 0.7× |
Trailing twelve months where available; otherwise the latest fiscal year. Growth: five-year compound annual rate.