MA vs. MU: Mastercard vs. Micron Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU) 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 Micron (MU) belongs to Information Technology (Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Profile Item	MA	MU
Name	Mastercard Inc. Class A Common Stock	Micron Technology Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Financial Services	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Transaction & Payment Processing Services	Semiconductors
Market Capitalization	568.62 billion USD	780.68 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 25, 2006	June 1, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU), 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 Micron (MU). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
Total Return (1Y)	20.00%	208.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.98%	115.89%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.49%	58.28%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Micron (MU) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.44, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Mastercard (MA) is closer to market-like at 0.76 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.57%	83.85%
Beta (5Y)	0.76	2.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.25%	-57.63%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.98M	27.63M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MA and MU 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 Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.67	2.44
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.00	3.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Mastercard (MA) at 231.37% and Micron (MU) at 88.26% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

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%

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

88.26%

MU: 88.26%
Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Mastercard (MA) at 46.73% and Micron (MU) at 63.80% 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%

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

63.80%

MU: 63.80%
Max: 63.80%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Micron (MU) at 80.68% 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%

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

80.68%

MU: 80.68%
Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
ROE (TTM)	231.37%	88.26%
ROA (TTM)	24.45%	44.56%
Net Margin (TTM)	46.73%	63.80%
Operating Margin (TTM)	60.53%	80.68%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	80.72%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Micron (MU) at 256.33% clears its industry range for revenue growth, far stronger top-line momentum than Mastercard (MA) at 16.42%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

EPS Growth

Micron (MU) at 879.31% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Mastercard (MA) at 18.93%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
Revenue Growth (YoY)	16.42%	256.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.82%	104.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.93%	879.31%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.36%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Micron (MU) shows current ratio of 3.31; 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: --

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.31

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
MU: 3.31
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Micron (MU) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04; 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: --

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.04

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
MU: 0.04
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	3.31
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.04
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	-0.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Mastercard (MA) at 0.53% and Micron (MU) at 0.09% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.09%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
MU: 0.09%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Mastercard (MA) at 17.63% and Micron (MU) at 0.71% 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

17.63%

Max: 241.07%
Q3: 97.36%
Median: 25.77%
MA: 17.63%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.71%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
MU: 0.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.53%	0.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	0.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Micron (MU) at 9.28 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Mastercard (MA) at 34.15 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

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

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

9.28

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
MU: 9.28
Min: 8.12

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Micron (MU) at 5.86 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.

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

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.86

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
MU: 5.86
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Micron (MU) at 5.64 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

MU

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.64

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
MU: 5.64
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

Mastercard (MA) vs. Micron (MU): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Mastercard (MA) and Micron (MU)
Metric	MA	MU
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.15	9.28
P/S Ratio (TTM)	15.67	5.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	84.30	5.64
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	3.73%