Mastercard (MA) Competitors

$497.95 +2.47 (+0.50%)

Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$497.24 -0.71 (-0.14%)

As of 05:07 PM Eastern

MA vs. AFRM, PYPL, AXP, BRK.A, and BRK.B

Should you be buying Mastercard stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of Mastercard include Affirm (AFRM), PayPal (PYPL), American Express (AXP), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B).

How does Mastercard compare to Affirm?

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

Mastercard has higher revenue and earnings than Affirm. Mastercard is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Affirm, 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	$32.79B	13.42	$14.97B	$17.28	28.82
Affirm	$3.24B	6.82	$52.19M	$1.10	60.41

Mastercard currently has a consensus target price of $657.07, suggesting a potential upside of 31.96%. Affirm has a consensus target price of $85.64, suggesting a potential upside of 28.88%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Mastercard is more favorable than Affirm.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mastercard	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	21 Buy rating(s)	6 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.10
Affirm	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	19 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.72

Mastercard has a net margin of 45.88% compared to Affirm's net margin of 9.63%. Mastercard's return on equity of 212.96% beat Affirm's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mastercard	45.88%	212.96%	30.50%
Affirm	9.63%	11.57%	3.22%

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 insiders. Comparatively, 11.0% of Affirm shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Mastercard had 31 more articles in the media than Affirm. MarketBeat recorded 67 mentions for Mastercard and 36 mentions for Affirm. Mastercard's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Affirm's score of 0.69 indicating that Mastercard is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Mastercard	52 Very Positive mention(s)	8 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Affirm	11 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Mastercard has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Affirm has a beta of 3.72, meaning that its share price is 272% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Mastercard beats Affirm on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Mastercard compare to PayPal?

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

PayPal currently has a consensus price target of $56.42, indicating a potential upside of 25.18%. Mastercard has a consensus price target of $657.07, indicating a potential upside of 31.96%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Mastercard is more favorable than PayPal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
PayPal	5 Sell rating(s)	32 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.07
Mastercard	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	21 Buy rating(s)	6 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.10

Mastercard has lower revenue, but higher earnings than PayPal. PayPal 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
PayPal	$33.73B	1.18	$5.23B	$5.33	8.46
Mastercard	$32.79B	13.42	$14.97B	$17.28	28.82

68.3% of PayPal shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.3% of Mastercard shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of PayPal shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Mastercard shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

PayPal pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Mastercard pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. PayPal pays out 10.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Mastercard pays out 20.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Mastercard has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. PayPal is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Mastercard has a net margin of 45.88% compared to PayPal's net margin of 15.00%. Mastercard's return on equity of 212.96% beat PayPal's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
PayPal	15.00%	25.02%	6.30%
Mastercard	45.88%	212.96%	30.50%

In the previous week, PayPal had 41 more articles in the media than Mastercard. MarketBeat recorded 108 mentions for PayPal and 67 mentions for Mastercard. Mastercard's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat PayPal's score of 0.35 indicating that Mastercard is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
PayPal	35 Very Positive mention(s)	16 Positive mention(s)	19 Neutral mention(s)	18 Negative mention(s)	11 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Mastercard	52 Very Positive mention(s)	8 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

PayPal has a beta of 1.39, indicating that its share price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mastercard has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Mastercard beats PayPal on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Mastercard compare to American Express?

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

Mastercard has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Express has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Mastercard has higher earnings, but lower revenue than American Express. American Express 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	$32.79B	13.42	$14.97B	$17.28	28.82
American Express	$72.23B	2.95	$10.83B	$16.03	19.49

Mastercard pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. American Express pays an annual dividend of $3.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Mastercard pays out 20.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. American Express pays out 23.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Mastercard has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and American Express has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Mastercard had 16 more articles in the media than American Express. MarketBeat recorded 67 mentions for Mastercard and 51 mentions for American Express. Mastercard's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat American Express' score of 1.08 indicating that Mastercard is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Mastercard	52 Very Positive mention(s)	8 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
American Express	36 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Mastercard has a net margin of 45.88% compared to American Express' net margin of 15.13%. Mastercard's return on equity of 212.96% beat American Express' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mastercard	45.88%	212.96%	30.50%
American Express	15.13%	33.95%	3.73%

Mastercard presently has a consensus price target of $657.07, suggesting a potential upside of 31.96%. American Express has a consensus price target of $357.47, suggesting a potential upside of 14.45%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Mastercard is more favorable than American Express.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mastercard	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	21 Buy rating(s)	6 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.10
American Express	1 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.32

97.3% of Mastercard shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.3% of American Express shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Mastercard shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of American Express shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Mastercard beats American Express on 16 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Mastercard compare to Berkshire Hathaway?

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

Berkshire Hathaway currently has a consensus price target of $758,532.00, indicating a potential upside of 5.29%. Mastercard has a consensus price target of $657.07, indicating a potential upside of 31.96%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Mastercard is more favorable than Berkshire Hathaway.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Berkshire Hathaway	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Mastercard	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	21 Buy rating(s)	6 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.10

Berkshire Hathaway has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its share price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mastercard has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

In the previous week, Mastercard had 43 more articles in the media than Berkshire Hathaway. MarketBeat recorded 67 mentions for Mastercard and 24 mentions for Berkshire Hathaway. Mastercard's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Berkshire Hathaway's score of 0.37 indicating that Mastercard is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Berkshire Hathaway	8 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Mastercard	52 Very Positive mention(s)	8 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Mastercard has a net margin of 45.88% compared to Berkshire Hathaway's net margin of 19.31%. Mastercard's return on equity of 212.96% beat Berkshire Hathaway's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Berkshire Hathaway	19.31%	6.55%	3.80%
Mastercard	45.88%	212.96%	30.50%

23.0% of Berkshire Hathaway shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.3% of Mastercard shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Berkshire Hathaway shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Mastercard shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Berkshire Hathaway has higher revenue and earnings than Mastercard. Berkshire Hathaway 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
Berkshire Hathaway	$371.44B	2.79	$66.97B	$50.39 thousand	14.30
Mastercard	$32.79B	13.42	$14.97B	$17.28	28.82

Summary

Mastercard beats Berkshire Hathaway on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Mastercard compare to Berkshire Hathaway?

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) and Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and earnings.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mastercard	$32.79B	13.42	$14.97B	$17.28	28.82
Berkshire Hathaway	$419.30B	2.46	$66.97B	$33.59	14.26

Mastercard has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Berkshire Hathaway has a beta of 0.63, suggesting that its stock price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Mastercard presently has a consensus price target of $657.07, suggesting a potential upside of 31.96%. Berkshire Hathaway has a consensus price target of $524.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9.48%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Mastercard is more favorable than Berkshire Hathaway.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mastercard	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	21 Buy rating(s)	6 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.10
Berkshire Hathaway	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

In the previous week, Mastercard had 41 more articles in the media than Berkshire Hathaway. MarketBeat recorded 67 mentions for Mastercard and 26 mentions for Berkshire Hathaway. Mastercard's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Berkshire Hathaway's score of 0.48 indicating that Mastercard is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Mastercard	52 Very Positive mention(s)	8 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Berkshire Hathaway	10 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Mastercard has a net margin of 45.88% compared to Berkshire Hathaway's net margin of 19.31%. Mastercard's return on equity of 212.96% beat Berkshire Hathaway's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mastercard	45.88%	212.96%	30.50%
Berkshire Hathaway	19.31%	6.55%	3.80%

97.3% of Mastercard shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 39.3% of Berkshire Hathaway shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Mastercard shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.1% of Berkshire Hathaway shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Mastercard beats Berkshire Hathaway on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MA and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

MA vs. The Competition

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Metric	Mastercard	Financial Transaction Services Industry	Business Sector	NYSE Exchange
Market Cap	$439.98B	$29.24B	$6.42B	$22.92B
Dividend Yield	0.70%	3.03%	3.06%	4.02%
P/E Ratio	28.82	32.73	31.47	28.94
Price / Sales	13.42	8.20	442.41	24.54
Price / Cash	23.74	15.79	22.61	19.21
Price / Book	57.50	5.58	6.16	4.65
Net Income	$14.97B	$1.08B	$200.03M	$1.07B
7 Day Performance	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1.20%
1 Month Performance	-0.17%	9.82%	5.82%	3.96%
1 Year Performance	-12.39%	-8.15%	44.32%	28.96%

Mastercard Competitors List

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Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
MA Mastercard	4.9492 of 5 stars	$497.95 +0.5%	$657.07 +32.0%	-12.8%	$444.08B	$33.94B	28.82	39,800	Positive News Analyst Revision
AFRM Affirm	4.5319 of 5 stars	$67.08 -0.7%	$83.76 +24.9%	+37.8%	$22.35B	$3.24B	82.81	2,206	Earnings Report Analyst Forecast
PYPL PayPal	4.7189 of 5 stars	$50.39 -0.1%	$56.55 +12.2%	-35.4%	$45.33B	$33.17B	9.31	23,800	Earnings Report Dividend Announcement Analyst Forecast
AXP American Express	4.6105 of 5 stars	$319.25 -0.1%	$357.47 +12.0%	+11.0%	$217.83B	$72.23B	19.92	76,800	Positive News
BRK.A Berkshire Hathaway	1.1715 of 5 stars	$703,041.27 -1.0%	$758,532.00 +7.9%	-7.0%	$1.01T	$410.52B	15.10	372,000

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This page (NYSE:MA) was last updated on 5/11/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Mastercard (MA) Competitors

MA vs. AFRM, PYPL, AXP, BRK.A, and BRK.B

How does Mastercard compare to Affirm?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to PayPal?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to American Express?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to Berkshire Hathaway?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to Berkshire Hathaway?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

MA vs. The Competition

Mastercard Competitors List

Related Companies and Tools

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools

About MarketBeat

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Terms & Info

Mastercard (MA) Competitors

MA vs. AFRM, PYPL, AXP, BRK.A, and BRK.B

How does Mastercard compare to Affirm?

Which has better valuation & earnings, MA or AFRM?

Do analysts rate MA or AFRM?

Is MA or AFRM more profitable?

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of MA or AFRM?

Does the media refer more to MA or AFRM?

Which has more risk & volatility, MA or AFRM?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to PayPal?

Do analysts recommend PYPL or MA?

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, PYPL or MA?

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in PYPL or MA?

Is PYPL or MA a better dividend stock?

Is PYPL or MA more profitable?

Does the media prefer PYPL or MA?

Which has more risk & volatility, PYPL or MA?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to American Express?

Which has more risk & volatility, MA or AXP?

Which has better earnings and valuation, MA or AXP?

Is MA or AXP a better dividend stock?

Does the media favor MA or AXP?

Is MA or AXP more profitable?

Do analysts recommend MA or AXP?

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in MA or AXP?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to Berkshire Hathaway?

Do analysts rate BRK.A or MA?

Which has more risk and volatility, BRK.A or MA?

Does the media prefer BRK.A or MA?

Is BRK.A or MA more profitable?

Do insiders & institutionals believe in BRK.A or MA?

Which has better valuation and earnings, BRK.A or MA?

Summary

How does Mastercard compare to Berkshire Hathaway?

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, MA or BRK.B?

Which has more volatility & risk, MA or BRK.B?

Do analysts prefer MA or BRK.B?

Does the media favor MA or BRK.B?

Is MA or BRK.B more profitable?

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in MA or BRK.B?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

MA vs. The Competition

Mastercard Competitors List

Related Companies and Tools

MarketBeat All Access Features

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools