JNJ vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Johnson & Johnson and Mastercard Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-11.
Johnson & Johnson · Healthcare
$238.46
-11.8% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C+
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%).
JNJ trades at a lower forward P/E
(20.2x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
JNJ |
MA |
| Current Price |
$238.46 |
$498.66 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$210.28 |
$610.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-11.8%
|
+22.3%
|
| Market Cap |
$574.7B |
$445.0B |
| Forward P/E |
20.2x
|
25.5x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
13.3x
|
22.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
6.2x
|
13.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
29.4x
|
26.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+6.1%
|
+16.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
72.8%
|
83.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
27.2%
|
59.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
32.87%
|
198.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
2.18% |
0.65% |
| FCF Yield |
3.4%
|
3.84%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Moderate Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Johnson & Johnson is a high-quality healthcare conglomerate focused exclusively on Innovative Medicine and MedTech following the Kenvue spin-off. The company delivered $94.2B in FY2025 revenue with 6% operational growth, generated $19.7B in free cash flow, and guided for $99.5-100.5B in 2026 operational sales (above consensus). However, at $238 the stock trades at a P/S of 6.15x, well above the 5…
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 |
JNJ |
MA |
| Zone Low |
$157.71 |
$460.00 |
| Zone High |
$178.74 |
$515.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|