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JEF vs. MA: Jefferies vs. Mastercard Stock Comparison

How do Jefferies (JEF) 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

Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but JEF is classified in Capital Markets while MA is classified in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
Profile ItemJEFMA
NameJefferies Financial Group Inc.Mastercard Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageTransaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization10.88 billion USD568.62 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980May 25, 2006
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

JEF
MA
GSPC
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Jefferies (JEF) 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 Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
Total Return (1Y)-6.26%20.00%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.02%19.98%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)7.20%14.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

JEF
MA
GSPC
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Jefferies (JEF) 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 Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.25%23.57%
Beta (5Y)1.490.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)-54.39%-28.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.20M2.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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JEF 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 Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.260.67
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.331.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 231.37% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Jefferies (JEF) at 8.59%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

8.59%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
JEF
8.59%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

MA

Financial Services industry group

231.37%

MA
231.37%
Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 46.73% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Jefferies (JEF) at 11.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

11.00%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
JEF
11.00%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

MA

Financial Services industry group

46.73%

Max
62.84%
MA
46.73%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 60.53% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Jefferies (JEF) at 15.80%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

15.80%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
JEF
15.80%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

MA

Financial Services industry group

60.53%

Max
107.33%
MA
60.53%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
ROE (TTM)8.59%231.37%
ROA (TTM)1.21%24.45%
Net Margin (TTM)11.00%46.73%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.80%60.53%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 2.93% 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.

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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Jefferies (JEF) at -5.35% 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.

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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.93%16.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)14.83%13.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)-5.35%18.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.57%17.36%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Jefferies (JEF) 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: Jefferies (JEF) 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 Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 3.29% and Mastercard (MA) at 0.53% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

3.29%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
JEF
3.29%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MA

Financial Services industry group

0.53%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
MA
0.53%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 42.67% and Mastercard (MA) at 17.63% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

42.67%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
JEF
42.67%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MA

Financial Services industry group

17.63%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
MA
17.63%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.29%0.53%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)42.67%17.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Jefferies (JEF) at 12.63 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 34.15 sits in the richer quartile — MA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

12.63

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
JEF
12.63
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

MA

Financial Services industry group

34.15

Max
45.85
MA
34.15
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Jefferies (JEF) at 1.28 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 15.67 clears its benchmark range — MA looks notably rich on sales.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

1.28

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
JEF
1.28
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

MA

Financial Services industry group

15.67

MA
15.67
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Jefferies (JEF) at 1.02 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 84.30 prices above its benchmark range — MA looks rich relative to book.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

1.02

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
JEF
1.02
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

MA

Financial Services industry group

84.30

MA
84.30
Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricJEFMA
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.6334.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.2815.67
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.0284.30
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----