ADBE vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Adobe Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated โ fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-16.
Adobe Inc. ยท Technology
$248.16
+163.1% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade B
VS
Mastercard Incorporated ยท Financial Services
$498.66
+22.3% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
QuantHub Verdict
ADBE has more upside to fair value
(+163.1%).
ADBE trades at a lower forward P/E
(14.1x).
These are model outputs โ not personalized investment advice.
See all research โ
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
ADBE |
MA |
| Current Price |
$248.16 |
$498.66 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$653.00 |
$610.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+163.1%
|
+22.3%
|
| Market Cap |
$101.2B |
$445.0B |
| Forward P/E |
14.1x
|
25.5x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
โ
|
22.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
4.1x
|
13.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
9.8x
|
26.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.3%
|
+16.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
89.1%
|
83.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
36.6%
|
59.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
62.3%
|
198.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
โ |
0.65% |
| FCF Yield |
10.2%
|
3.84%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Adobe Inc. develops industry-leading creative software, digital experience platforms, and publishing tools, powering digital content creation and marketing for professionals worldwide. The business excels with high gross margins above 89%, a sticky subscription model driving recurring revenue over $17B ARR, and dominant moats in digital media, though it faces intensifying AI competition and slowiโฆ
Mastercard operates one of the world's two dominant payment networks, processing over $9 trillion in gross dollar volume annually across 220+ countries. The business generates 83% gross margins and 46% net margins with zero credit risk because Mastercard never lends money, only collecting tolls on every transaction. Value-Added Services (analytics, fraud prevention, cybersecurity) now comprise 41โฆ
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
ADBE |
MA |
| Zone Low |
$490.00 |
$460.00 |
| Zone High |
$555.00 |
$515.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|