MA vs MS: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Mastercard Incorporated and Morgan Stanley — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-13.
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$499.81
+5.0% upside to fair value
Grade B+
High Quality
VS
Morgan Stanley · Financial Services
$189.30
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MS has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
MS trades at a lower forward P/E
(16.4x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
MS |
| Current Price |
$499.81 |
$189.30 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$525.00 |
$274.49 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+5.0%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$441.6B |
$300.6B |
| Forward P/E |
28.6x
|
16.4x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
21.3x
|
24.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
13.0x
|
2.5x
|
| Price / FCF |
24.9x
|
-16.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+15.8%
|
+18.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.0%
|
58.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.4%
|
19.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
206.1%
|
16.7%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.6% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
4.01%
|
—
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
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…
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm operating in Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat supported by its systemically important status, diversified revenue streams, and strong management with a 36-year veteran CEO. Despite solid fundamentals including 14.2% revenue growth in 2025 and 16.7%…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MA |
MS |
| Zone Low |
$393.75 |
$205.87 |
| Zone High |
$446.25 |
$233.32 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|