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 2026-04-16.
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$498.66
+22.3% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
VS
QUALCOMM Incorporated · Technology
$134.47
+77.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
QuantHub Verdict
QCOM has more upside to fair value
(+77.7%).
MA trades at a lower forward P/E
(25.5x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
QCOM |
| Current Price |
$498.66 |
$134.47 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$610.00 |
$239.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+22.3%
|
+77.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$445.0B |
$143.6B |
| Forward P/E |
25.5x
|
26.8x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
22.4x
|
—
|
| Price / Sales |
13.6x
|
3.2x
|
| Price / FCF |
26.0x
|
11.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+16.4%
|
+8.7%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.4%
|
55.1%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.2%
|
27.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
198.4%
|
21.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.65% |
— |
| FCF Yield |
3.84%
|
9.0%
|
| 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…
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 |
$460.00 |
$179.00 |
| Zone High |
$515.00 |
$203.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|