KO vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of The Coca-Cola Company and Mastercard Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-06-20.
The Coca-Cola Company · Consumer Defensive
$79.39
-9.9% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
VS
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$489.79
+40.9% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MA has more upside to fair value
(+40.9%).
KO trades at a lower forward P/E
(24.9x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
KO |
MA |
| Current Price |
$79.39 |
$489.79 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$71.54 |
$690.33 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-9.9%
|
+40.9%
|
| Market Cap |
$341.6B |
$432.8B |
| Forward P/E |
24.9x
|
28.3x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
19.5x
|
20.9x
|
| Price / Sales |
6.9x
|
12.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.2x
|
24.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+12.1%
|
+15.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
61.7%
|
83.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
29.3%
|
59.4%
|
| Return on Equity |
43.6%
|
206.1%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.68%
|
4.09%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
The Coca-Cola Company is a leading global branded beverages company with a very wide moat in sparkling soft drinks and non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages. It benefits from strong pricing power, stable margins, and high recurring cash flow, supported by a seasoned management team with deep company tenure. Despite solid recent growth with revenue up 12.1% and earnings up 17.8% in the most recen…
Mastercard Incorporated operates a global payments network providing payment processing and value-added services. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat built on its global card-network scale, processing infrastructure, brand strength, and regulatory integrations. It commands a high return on equity of 206.1% and strong margins with a net margin of 45.9%. Revenue and earnings grew 1…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
KO |
MA |
| Zone Low |
$53.66 |
$517.75 |
| Zone High |
$60.81 |
$586.78 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|