MA vs. MS: Mastercard vs. Morgan Stanley Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Profile Item	MA	MS
Name	Mastercard Incorporated	Morgan Stanley
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Financial Services
GICS Industry	Financial Services	Capital Markets
GICS Sub-Industry	Transaction & Payment Processing Services	Investment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization	498.70 billion USD	341.69 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 25, 2006	February 23, 1993
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
Total Return (1Y)	-1.87%	49.68%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	13.29%	39.74%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.08%	19.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS), 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.17%	27.83%
Beta (5Y)	0.73	1.22
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.25%	-32.38%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.52M	5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MA and MS 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 Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.26	1.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.37	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 241.20% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Morgan Stanley (MS) at 17.97%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

MS

Financial Services industry group

17.97%

Max: 48.53%
Q3: 22.22%
MS: 17.97%
Median: 12.75%
Q1: 4.09%
Min: -22.61%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): 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 Morgan Stanley (MS) at 25.90%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

MS

Financial Services industry group

25.90%

Max: 66.61%
Q3: 29.41%
MS: 25.90%
Median: 16.08%
Q1: 4.44%
Min: -30.54%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): 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 Morgan Stanley (MS) at 41.57%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

MS

Financial Services industry group

41.57%

Max: 96.23%
Q3: 53.97%
MS: 41.57%
Median: 28.94%
Q1: 11.79%
Min: -46.79%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
ROE (TTM)	241.20%	17.97%
ROA (TTM)	24.06%	1.35%
Net Margin (TTM)	46.34%	25.90%
Operating Margin (TTM)	61.11%	41.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Mastercard (MA) at 16.42% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 14.48% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Mastercard (MA) at 18.93% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 28.43% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	16.42%	14.48%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.82%	9.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.93%	28.43%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.36%	18.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services and Morgan Stanley (MS) 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: Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services and Morgan Stanley (MS) 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 Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Mastercard (MA) at 0.59% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 1.90% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

MS

Financial Services industry group

1.90%

Max: 17.41%
Q3: 7.19%
MS: 1.90%
Median: 1.49%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Mastercard (MA) at 17.93% and Morgan Stanley (MS) at 32.31% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

MS

Financial Services industry group

32.31%

Max: 223.44%
Q3: 89.87%
MS: 32.31%
Median: 25.19%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.59%	1.90%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.93%	32.31%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 17.54 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.

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

MS

Financial Services industry group

17.54

Max: 50.93
Q3: 26.65
MS: 17.54
Median: 16.33
Q1: 10.01
Min: 2.15

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 4.39 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.

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

MS

Financial Services industry group

4.39

Max: 9.98
Q3: 4.93
MS: 4.39
Median: 2.98
Q1: 1.55
Min: -1.13

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Morgan Stanley (MS) at 3.21 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 89.01 prices above its benchmark range — MA looks rich relative to book.

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

MS

Financial Services industry group

3.21

Max: 7.91
Q3: 3.71
MS: 3.21
Median: 1.60
Q1: 0.85
Min: -0.34

Mastercard (MA) vs. Morgan Stanley (MS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Morgan Stanley (MS)
Metric	MA	MS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	31.35	17.54
P/S Ratio (TTM)	14.21	4.39
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	89.01	3.21
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--