MA vs NKE: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Mastercard Incorporated and NIKE, Inc. β fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-11.
Mastercard Incorporated Β· Financial Services
$498.66
+22.3% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
VS
NIKE, Inc. Β· Consumer Cyclical
$42.62
+45.5% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B+
QuantHub Verdict
NKE has more upside to fair value
(+45.5%).
MA trades at a lower forward P/E
(25.5x).
These are model outputs β not personalized investment advice.
See all research β
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
NKE |
| Current Price |
$498.66 |
$42.62 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$610.00 |
$62.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+22.3%
|
+45.5%
|
| Market Cap |
$445.0B |
$63.0B |
| Forward P/E |
25.5x
|
27.9x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
22.4x
|
20.7x
|
| Price / Sales |
13.6x
|
1.4x
|
| Price / FCF |
26.0x
|
19.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+16.4%
|
-9.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.4%
|
42.7%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.2%
|
8.0%
|
| Return on Equity |
198.4%
|
24.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.65% |
3.8% |
| FCF Yield |
3.84%
|
5.2%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Buy
|
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 41β¦
Nike is the world's largest athletic footwear and apparel company with $46.3B in FY2025 revenue, operating across 190+ countries with the Nike, Jordan, and Converse brands. The stock trades near its 9-year low at $42.62 after an 11% single-day crash following a Q3 FY2026 earnings report that showed 35% net income decline and weak Q4 guidance calling for a further 2-4% revenue decline. FY2025 reveβ¦
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MA |
NKE |
| Zone Low |
$460.00 |
$44.00 |
| Zone High |
$515.00 |
$50.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|