Head to head · SEC data as of July 10, 2026

Visa vs Mastercard: which has the stronger fundamentals?

Visa

86

Quality score · out of 100

Mastercard

90

Quality score · out of 100

Mastercard comes in ahead: a quality score of 90 versus 86 for Visa. Mastercard wins on ROE (231.7% vs 62.4%), revenue growth (16.4% vs 13.1%) and earnings growth (21% vs 13.9%). Visa answers with net margin (51.7% vs 45.9%).

The metrics, head to head

MetricVisaMastercard
Quality score (0-100)8690
Net margin51.7%45.9%
Gross margin
ROE62.4%231.7%
Net debt/EBITDA0.42×0.53×
FCF margin49.2%52.4%
Revenue growth (annualized)13.1%16.4%
Earnings growth (annualized)13.9%21%

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.

What each one does

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.

Mastercard. Mastercard runs one of the world's largest payment networks. Like Visa, it doesn't lend money or issue cards: it takes a small fee on every transaction across its network, a high-margin and very stable model.

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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:

Analyze Visa →Analyze Mastercard →

Frequently asked questions

Who has the stronger fundamentals today, Visa or Mastercard?

By the StockSemáforo model (profitability, growth and financial strength, built on official SEC data), Mastercard scores higher: 90 versus 86 out of 100. The score is recomputed nightly with the latest filings.

Does that make Mastercard 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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