ISRG vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated β€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-05-13.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. Β· Healthcare
$451.29
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
VS
Mastercard Incorporated Β· Financial Services
$499.81
+5.0% upside to fair value
Grade B+ High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
ISRG has more upside to fair value (+45.0%). MA trades at a lower forward P/E (28.6x). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric ISRG MA
Current Price $451.29 $499.81
Fair Value Estimate $654.37 $525.00
Upside to Fair Value +45.0% +5.0%
Market Cap $160.3B $441.6B
Forward P/E 53.8x 28.6x
EV / EBITDA 40.5x 21.3x
Price / Sales 15.2x 13.0x
Price / FCF 64.3x 24.9x
Revenue Growth YoY +23.0% +15.8%
Gross Margin 66.3% 83.0%
Operating Margin 30.5% 59.4%
Return on Equity 17.0% 206.1%
Dividend Yield 0% 0.6%
FCF Yield 1.55% 4.01%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
ISRG β€” Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is a leading healthcare company specializing in robotic-assisted surgery through its flagship da Vinci system, which has established a durable competitive moat with approximately 10,000 systems installed globally and nearly 17 million procedures performed by the end of 2024. The company benefits from a high-quality business model characterized by 85% recurring revenue, st…
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 ISRG MA
Zone Low $490.78 $393.75
Zone High $556.21 $446.25
In Buy Zone? Yes No
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