MA vs MAR: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Mastercard Incorporated and Marriott International, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-18.
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$498.66
+22.3% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
VS
Marriott International, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$377.93
-16.6% upside to fair value
Grade D
QuantHub Verdict
MA has more upside to fair value
(+22.3%).
MA trades at a lower forward P/E
(25.5x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
MAR |
| Current Price |
$498.66 |
$377.93 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$610.00 |
$315.15 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+22.3%
|
-16.6%
|
| Market Cap |
$445.0B |
$100.2B |
| Forward P/E |
25.5x
|
39.0x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
22.4x
|
25.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
13.6x
|
3.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
26.0x
|
34.6x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+16.4%
|
+3.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.4%
|
21.3%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.2%
|
15.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
198.4%
|
-79.9%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.65% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.84%
|
2.89%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
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…
Marriott International operates the world's largest hospitality portfolio with approximately 8,900 to 9,000 properties across 141 countries and over 30 brands, supported by the largest loyalty program with 203 to 210 million members. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by scale, brand strength, and network effects. However, despite steady revenue growth of 3.1% year-over-y…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MA |
MAR |
| Zone Low |
$460.00 |
$236.36 |
| Zone High |
$515.00 |
$267.88 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|