AAPL vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Apple Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated β€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-07-17.
Apple Inc. Β· Technology
$308.63
+5.6% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
VS
Mastercard Incorporated Β· Financial Services
$543.60
+45.0% upside to fair value
High Conviction Grade A High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MA has more upside to fair value (+45.0%). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric AAPL MA
Current Price $308.63 $543.60
Fair Value Estimate $325.93 $788.22
Upside to Fair Value +5.6% +45.0%
Market Cap $4,533.0B $480.3B
Forward P/E 37.2x β€”
EV / EBITDA 28.6x 23.3x
Price / Sales 10.0x 14.2x
Price / FCF 35.1x 27.1x
Revenue Growth YoY +16.6% +15.8%
Gross Margin 47.9% 83.0%
Operating Margin 32.6% 59.4%
Return on Equity 146.7% 206.1%
Dividend Yield 0% 0.62%
FCF Yield 2.85% 3.69%
Analyst Consensus Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
AAPL β€” Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is a leading technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software, and services, with a durable competitive moat driven by its integrated ecosystem of devices, operating systems, and services. The company benefits from strong brand loyalty, high margins with a gross margin of 47.9%, and consistent earnings growth, including a 19.4% increase in earnings in the most recent q…
MA β€” Mastercard Incorporated
Mastercard operates a global two-sided payments network that connects issuers, acquirers, merchants and cardholders, monetizing payment volumes and an expanding set of security, data, authentication and other value-added services. Business quality is high: the network benefits from powerful acceptance and scale effects, 83.0% gross margin, 59.4% operating margin, 45.9% net margin, 206.1% ROE, and…
Accumulation Zones
Metric AAPL MA
Zone Low $244.45 $591.16
Zone High $277.04 $669.99
In Buy Zone? No Yes
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