AMAT vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Applied Materials, Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-20.
Applied Materials, Inc. · Technology
$406.91
-12.0% upside to fair value
Grade B-
High Quality
VS
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$499.81
+5.0% upside to fair value
Grade B+
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MA has more upside to fair value
(+5.0%).
MA trades at a lower forward P/E
(28.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AMAT |
MA |
| Current Price |
$406.91 |
$499.81 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$358.00 |
$525.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-12.0%
|
+5.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$322.9B |
$441.6B |
| Forward P/E |
30.3x
|
28.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
30.2x
|
21.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
10.2x
|
13.0x
|
| Price / FCF |
51.6x
|
24.9x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.0%
|
+15.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
49.9%
|
83.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
31.9%
|
59.4%
|
| Return on Equity |
47.0%
|
206.1%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.45% |
0.6% |
| FCF Yield |
1.94%
|
4.01%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Applied Materials is the world's leading semiconductor and display equipment company, and the May 14 Q2 fiscal 2026 print materially strengthened the operating story. Revenue grew 11 percent year over year to a record $7.91 billion, non-GAAP earnings per share of $2.86 beat consensus of $2.68, and management guided Q3 to a record $8.95 billion in revenue with non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.36 …
Mastercard is one of two global payment network duopolists alongside Visa, with structurally high margins (83% gross, 59% operating, 46% net), powerful network effects, and durable secular tailwinds from the ongoing cash-to-card and card-to-digital migration. Q1 2026 results reported April 30 showed revenue of $8.40 billion (+15.8% YoY) and EPS of $4.35 (+20.8% YoY), driven by continued cross-bor…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AMAT |
MA |
| Zone Low |
$268.50 |
$393.75 |
| Zone High |
$304.30 |
$446.25 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|