Mastercard (MA) Competitors

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) and Affirm (NASDAQ:AFRM) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, earnings, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

Does the media favor MA or AFRM?

In the previous week, Mastercard had 67 more articles in the media than Affirm. MarketBeat recorded 80 mentions for Mastercard and 13 mentions for Affirm. Mastercard's average media sentiment score of 1.31 beat Affirm's score of -0.28 indicating that Mastercard is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Mastercard	63 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Affirm	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is MA or AFRM more profitable?

Mastercard has a net margin of 44.93% compared to Affirm's net margin of -2.07%. Mastercard's return on equity of 200.01% beat Affirm's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mastercard	44.93%	200.01%	29.26%
Affirm	-2.07%	-2.22%	-0.61%

Do insiders and institutionals believe in MA or AFRM?

97.3% of Mastercard shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.3% of Affirm shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Mastercard shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.8% of Affirm shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more risk and volatility, MA or AFRM?

Mastercard has a beta of 1.03, meaning that its stock price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Affirm has a beta of 3.63, meaning that its stock price is 263% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate MA or AFRM?

Mastercard presently has a consensus price target of $617.93, indicating a potential upside of 4.14%. Affirm has a consensus price target of $68.74, indicating a potential downside of 11.18%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Mastercard is more favorable than Affirm.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mastercard	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	24 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.90
Affirm	0 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	18 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, MA or AFRM?

Mastercard has higher revenue and earnings than Affirm. Affirm is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mastercard, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mastercard	$28.17B	19.04	$12.87B	$14.83	40.01
Affirm	$2.32B	10.75	-$517.76M	-$0.21	-368.52

Summary

Mastercard beats Affirm on 15 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.