HD vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of The Home Depot, Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated β€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-05-20.
The Home Depot, Inc. Β· Consumer Cyclical
$302.44
+22.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction Grade B+
VS
Mastercard Incorporated Β· Financial Services
$499.81
+5.0% upside to fair value
Grade B+ High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
HD has more upside to fair value (+22.0%). HD trades at a lower forward P/E (20.5x). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric HD MA
Current Price $302.44 $499.81
Fair Value Estimate $369.00 $525.00
Upside to Fair Value +22.0% +5.0%
Market Cap $301.2B $441.6B
Forward P/E 20.5x 28.6x
EV / EBITDA 16.5x 21.3x
Price / Sales 2.0x 13.0x
Price / FCF 26.6x 24.9x
Revenue Growth YoY +4.8% +15.8%
Gross Margin 33.3% 83.0%
Operating Margin 12.7% 59.4%
Return on Equity 110.5% 206.1%
Dividend Yield 2.72% 0.6%
FCF Yield 3.75% 4.01%
Analyst Consensus Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
HD β€” The Home Depot, Inc.
Home Depot remains the world's largest home improvement retailer with 2,350+ stores, dominant 52% market share, and an expanding Pro contractor segment bolstered by the SRS Distribution acquisition. Q1 FY2026 results released May 19 beat both the top and bottom line, with revenue of $41.77B up 4.8% year over year and adjusted EPS of $3.43 versus the $3.41 consensus. Comp sales grew only 0.6% howe…
MA β€” Mastercard Incorporated
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 HD MA
Zone Low $276.75 $393.75
Zone High $313.65 $446.25
In Buy Zone? Yes No
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