MA vs. MSFT: Mastercard vs. Microsoft Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT) 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) is classified in the Financials sector (Financial Services), whereas Microsoft (MSFT) belongs to Information Technology (Software & Services) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Profile Item	MA	MSFT
Name	Mastercard Inc. Class A Common Stock	Microsoft Corporation Common Stock
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Financial Services	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Transaction & Payment Processing Services	Systems Software
Market Capitalization	568.62 billion USD	3,940.41 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 25, 2006	March 13, 1986
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MSFT

GSPC

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT), 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 Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
Total Return (1Y)	20.00%	10.30%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.98%	15.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.49%	11.01%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MSFT

GSPC

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT), 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 Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.57%	33.91%
Beta (5Y)	0.76	1.03
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.25%	-37.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.98M	22.95M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MA and MSFT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.67	0.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.00	0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Mastercard (MA) at 231.37% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Microsoft (MSFT) at 34.22% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

34.22%

Max: 53.85%
MSFT: 34.22%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Mastercard (MA) at 46.73% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 41.17% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

41.17%

MSFT: 41.17%
Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 49.76% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Mastercard (MA) at 60.53% also operates in the top quartile.

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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

49.76%

MSFT: 49.76%
Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
ROE (TTM)	231.37%	34.22%
ROA (TTM)	24.45%	14.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	46.73%	41.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	60.53%	49.76%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	67.66%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Mastercard (MA) at 16.42% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 17.79% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Mastercard (MA) at 18.93% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 31.60% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	16.42%	17.79%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.82%	16.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.93%	31.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.36%	22.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Microsoft (MSFT) shows current ratio of 1.23; Mastercard (MA) doesn’t get one — Financial Services balance sheets aren’t split into current and non-current buckets, so short-term liquidity there is judged through regulatory measures instead.

MA

Financial Services industry group

MA: --
Max: --
Q3: --
Median: --
Q1: --
Min: --

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

1.23

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
MSFT: 1.23
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): MA’s current ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for MSFT only.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Microsoft (MSFT) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28; for Mastercard (MA) the ratio is set aside — in Financial Services, balance-sheet leverage is part of the business model itself, so capital-adequacy measures do the job this ratio does elsewhere.

MA

Financial Services industry group

MA: --
Max: --
Q3: --
Median: --
Q1: --
Min: --

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

0.28

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
MSFT: 0.28
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): MA’s debt-to-equity ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for MSFT only.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	1.23
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.28
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	0.34

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 0.53% pays an industry-typical yield; Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.69% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

0.69%

MSFT: 0.69%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 17.63% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Microsoft (MSFT) at 19.00% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

19.00%

MSFT: 19.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.53%	0.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	19.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 27.69 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.

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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

27.69

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
MSFT: 27.69
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Microsoft (MSFT) at 11.37 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Mastercard (MA) at 15.67 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

11.37

Max: 17.91
MSFT: 11.37
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 8.38 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.

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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

8.38

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
MSFT: 8.38
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

Mastercard (MA) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	MA	MSFT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.15	27.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)	15.67	11.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	84.30	8.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	0.08%