INTC vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Intel Corporation and Mastercard Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-16.
Intel Corporation · Technology
$68.50
-13.9% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade D
VS
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$498.66
+22.3% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
QuantHub Verdict
MA has more upside to fair value
(+22.3%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
INTC |
MA |
| Current Price |
$68.50 |
$498.66 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$59.00 |
$610.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-13.9%
|
+22.3%
|
| Market Cap |
$343.9B |
$445.0B |
| Forward P/E |
-1245.8x
|
25.5x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
—
|
22.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
6.5x
|
13.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
-69.5x
|
26.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+0.2%
|
+16.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
34.8%
|
83.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
-4.2%
|
59.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
-0.3%
|
198.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
— |
0.65% |
| FCF Yield |
—
|
3.84%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Intel is a legacy semiconductor leader attempting an ambitious turnaround under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, pivoting from a pure-play chipmaker to an integrated device manufacturer (IDM 2.0) with foundry ambitions. The business remains structurally challenged: PC market share is eroding, foundry execution is unproven, negative free cash flow persists, and margins are compressed. However, the stock trades…
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 41…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
INTC |
MA |
| Zone Low |
$44.00 |
$460.00 |
| Zone High |
$50.00 |
$515.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|