AXP vs. MA: American Express vs. Mastercard Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but AXP is classified in Consumer Finance while MA is classified in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Profile Item	AXP	MA
Name	American Express Company	Mastercard Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Financial Services
GICS Industry	Consumer Finance	Financial Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Consumer Finance	Transaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization	231.28 billion USD	498.70 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 1, 1972	May 25, 2006
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AXP

GSPC

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
Total Return (1Y)	12.48%	-1.87%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	28.77%	13.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.99%	10.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AXP

GSPC

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	26.87%	22.17%
Beta (5Y)	1.05	0.73
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.55%	-28.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.99M	3.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AXP and MA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	-0.26
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.44	-0.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Mastercard (MA) at 241.20% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; American Express (AXP) at 34.38% also sits in the top quartile.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

34.38%

Max: 48.53%
AXP: 34.38%
Q3: 22.22%
Median: 12.75%
Q1: 4.09%
Min: -22.61%

MA

Financial Services industry group

241.20%

MA: 241.20%
Max: 48.53%
Q3: 22.22%
Median: 12.75%
Q1: 4.09%
Min: -22.61%

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 46.34% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of American Express (AXP) at 16.14%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

16.14%

Max: 66.61%
Q3: 29.41%
AXP: 16.14%
Median: 16.08%
Q1: 4.44%
Min: -30.54%

MA

Financial Services industry group

46.34%

Max: 66.61%
MA: 46.34%
Q3: 29.41%
Median: 16.08%
Q1: 4.44%
Min: -30.54%

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 61.11% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of American Express (AXP) at 20.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

20.32%

Max: 96.23%
Q3: 53.97%
Median: 28.94%
AXP: 20.32%
Q1: 11.79%
Min: -46.79%

MA

Financial Services industry group

61.11%

Max: 96.23%
MA: 61.11%
Q3: 53.97%
Median: 28.94%
Q1: 11.79%
Min: -46.79%

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
ROE (TTM)	34.38%	241.20%
ROA (TTM)	3.79%	24.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	16.14%	46.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.32%	61.11%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both American Express (AXP) at 9.52% and Mastercard (MA) at 16.42% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both American Express (AXP) at 9.78% and Mastercard (MA) at 18.93% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.52%	16.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.97%	13.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.78%	18.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.01%	17.36%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: American Express (AXP) in Financial Services and Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: American Express (AXP) in Financial Services and Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both American Express (AXP) at 1.03% and Mastercard (MA) at 0.59% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

1.03%

Max: 17.41%
Q3: 7.19%
Median: 1.49%
AXP: 1.03%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MA

Financial Services industry group

0.59%

Max: 17.41%
Q3: 7.19%
Median: 1.49%
MA: 0.59%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both American Express (AXP) at 21.48% and Mastercard (MA) at 17.93% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

21.48%

Max: 223.44%
Q3: 89.87%
Median: 25.19%
AXP: 21.48%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MA

Financial Services industry group

17.93%

Max: 223.44%
Q3: 89.87%
Median: 25.19%
MA: 17.93%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.03%	0.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	21.48%	17.93%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

American Express (AXP) at 20.79 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 31.35 sits in the richer quartile — MA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

20.79

Max: 50.93
Q3: 26.65
AXP: 20.79
Median: 16.33
Q1: 10.01
Min: 2.15

MA

Financial Services industry group

31.35

Max: 50.93
MA: 31.35
Q3: 26.65
Median: 16.33
Q1: 10.01
Min: 2.15

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

American Express (AXP) at 3.26 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 14.21 clears its benchmark range — MA looks notably rich on sales.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

3.26

Max: 9.98
Q3: 4.93
AXP: 3.26
Median: 2.98
Q1: 1.55
Min: -1.13

MA

Financial Services industry group

14.21

MA: 14.21
Max: 9.98
Q3: 4.93
Median: 2.98
Q1: 1.55
Min: -1.13

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: American Express (AXP) at 6.74 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Mastercard (MA) at 89.01 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

6.74

Max: 7.91
AXP: 6.74
Q3: 3.71
Median: 1.60
Q1: 0.85
Min: -0.34

MA

Financial Services industry group

89.01

MA: 89.01
Max: 7.91
Q3: 3.71
Median: 1.60
Q1: 0.85
Min: -0.34

American Express (AXP) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Express (AXP) and Mastercard (MA)
Metric	AXP	MA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.79	31.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.26	14.21
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.74	89.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--