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Stock Comparison · Broad operating lead

Mastercard vs Moody's: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Mastercard holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. Moody's does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but growth adds another real layer to the result. Mastercard Incorporated leads by 27 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.79
Similar
Peer-set rank: #3
within Mastercard Incorporated's functional peer set

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

Most of the shared profile comes through revenue growth trajectory and capital structure.

Similarity drivers
revenue growth trajectorycapital structure
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
MA
Mastercard Incorporated
71
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
MCO
Moody's Corporation
44
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

More than one operating dimension supports the result here.

Dimension spread: MA vs MCO Profitability 93 47 Stability 58 40 Valuation 60 54 Growth 71 29 MA MCO
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +46
#2 Growth +42
#3 Stability +18
#4 Valuation +6
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for MA and MCO Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer MAMCO Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where MA and MCO each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY MA Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 4 pct gap MCO Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 69th 66th
MA (69th percentile) and MCO (66th percentile) both sit in the upper-middle of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both profiles are strong on profitability, but Mastercard Incorporated leads clearly.
Growth
The same broad pattern appears on growth: Mastercard Incorporated ranks near the top of the group, while Moody's Corporation stays in the weaker half.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
MA
93
MCO
47
Gap+46in favour of MA

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 15.1-point operating margin advantage.

What else supports the lead

Growth still reinforces the same direction, which makes the lead look broader across the profile.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and growth, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the MA vs MCO comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how MA and MCO each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.