MA vs. PLTR: Mastercard vs. Palantir Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Mastercard (MA) has more than two decades of public-market history since May 25, 2006, whereas Palantir (PLTR) listed on September 30, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Mastercard (MA) at 231.37% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Palantir (PLTR) at 40.91% also sits in the top quartile.

Palantir (PLTR) at 50.34% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Mastercard (MA) at 46.73% also retains a top-quartile share.

Both Mastercard (MA) at 60.53% and Palantir (PLTR) at 46.89% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Palantir (PLTR) at 56.18% 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.

Palantir (PLTR) at 231.06% 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.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Palantir (PLTR) shows current ratio of 7.10; 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.

Palantir (PLTR) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02; 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.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Palantir (PLTR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Mastercard (MA) reports a yield of 0.53%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Palantir (PLTR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Mastercard (MA) reports a payout of 17.63%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Mastercard (MA) at 34.15 and Palantir (PLTR) at 112.94 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

Investors are paying well above the peer range per dollar of sales for both Mastercard (MA) at 15.67 and Palantir (PLTR) at 53.02 — each P/S ratio clears its industry’s benchmark range.

Measured against book value, both Mastercard (MA) at 84.30 and Palantir (PLTR) at 34.41 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

Valuation Metrics