MA vs QCOM: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Mastercard Incorporated and QUALCOMM Incorporated — 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
QUALCOMM Incorporated · Technology
$134.47
+45.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
QuantHub Verdict
QCOM has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
QCOM trades at a lower forward P/E
(26.8x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
QCOM |
| Current Price |
$499.81 |
$134.47 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$525.00 |
$194.98 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+5.0%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$441.6B |
$143.6B |
| Forward P/E |
28.6x
|
26.8x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
21.3x
|
—
|
| Price / Sales |
13.0x
|
3.2x
|
| Price / FCF |
24.9x
|
11.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+15.8%
|
+8.7%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.0%
|
55.1%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.4%
|
27.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
206.1%
|
21.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.6% |
— |
| FCF Yield |
4.01%
|
9.0%
|
| 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…
Qualcomm Incorporated is a leading semiconductor company specializing in wireless chipsets and IP licensing, with dominant positions in 5G modems via QCT (87% of revenue) and steady QTL royalties. The business excels through a vast patent moat, diversification into automotive and IoT, and robust growth (revenue +13% YoY to $44B in FY2025), but faces risks from Apple modem shifts and China exposur…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MA |
QCOM |
| Zone Low |
$393.75 |
$146.23 |
| Zone High |
$446.25 |
$165.73 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|