Head to head · SEC data as of July 10, 2026
Visa
86
Quality score · out of 100
American Express
92
Quality score · out of 100
American Express comes in ahead: a quality score of 92 versus 86 for Visa. American Express wins on earnings growth (31.8% vs 13.9%). Visa answers with net margin (51.7% vs 26.6%), ROE (62.4% vs 33%) and cash generation (FCF) (49.2% vs 33.9%).
| Metric | Visa | American Express |
|---|---|---|
| Quality score (0-100) | 86 | 92 |
| Net margin | 51.7% | 26.6% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| ROE | 62.4% | 33% |
| Net debt/EBITDA | 0.42× | — |
| FCF margin | 49.2% | 33.9% |
| Revenue growth (annualized) | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| Earnings growth (annualized) | 13.9% | 31.8% |
TTM metrics with official SEC data, refreshed daily. Bold green marks the winner of each metric. A dash means the metric doesn't apply or isn't reliable.
Visa. Visa runs the world's largest payments network. It doesn't lend money or issue cards: it takes a small fee on every transaction that flows through its network, which gives it very high and stable margins.
American Express. American Express is both the payments network and the issuing bank for its cards, focused on affluent customers and businesses. It earns from the fees it charges merchants and the annual fees on its premium cards, plus interest.
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What this comparison doesn't tell you
The score measures business quality, not whether the stock is cheap or expensive: the better company can be the worse investment if you overpay. For the valuation verdict, enter each one's current price in the analyzer:
Who has the stronger fundamentals today, Visa or American Express?
By the StockSemáforo model (profitability, growth and financial strength, built on official SEC data), American Express scores higher: 92 versus 86 out of 100. The score is recomputed nightly with the latest filings.
Does that make American Express the better investment?
No. The score measures business quality, not valuation: an excellent company can trade at an excessive price and be a poor investment at that price. To find out whether it's cheap or expensive, enter its current quote in the StockSemáforo analyzer.
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