MA vs. WSE: Mastercard vs. Wise Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Mastercard (MA) and Wise (WSE) are both classified in the Transaction & Payment Processing Services sub-industry within the broader Financial Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Mastercard (MA) has been public since May 25, 2006, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Wise (WSE) listed only on May 11, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

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

Both MA and WSE need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot 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; Wise (WSE) at 27.23% also sits in the top quartile.

Mastercard (MA) at 46.73% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Wise (WSE) at 19.93%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

Both Mastercard (MA) at 60.53% and Wise (WSE) at 59.77% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Mastercard (MA) at 16.42% and Wise (WSE) at 17.14% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Mastercard (MA) at 18.93% and Wise (WSE) at -5.78% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services and Wise (WSE) 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-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services and Wise (WSE) 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

Dividends

Wise (WSE) 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.

Wise (WSE) 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

Wise (WSE) at 23.23 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.

Wise (WSE) at 4.30 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.

Both look rich against book: Wise (WSE) at 5.94 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Mastercard (MA) at 84.30 prices even higher, above its industry range.

Valuation Metrics