Operates the same card network model as Visa, with a larger tilt toward cross-border volume and value-added services.
Mastercard (MA) scores 8.6 out of 10 as of , computed from its reported financial statements. That reads as exceptional quality. The reading rests on profitability, and growth is what holds it back.
Data provided by Twelve Data. Scores are computed by Lemma Analysis from reported financials.
Mastercard’s returns on capital beat their cost in almost every measured year, by a clear margin: 4 of 4 indicators passed.
Quantitative signs of a moat, read from the filed statements. This is not a judgement of where it comes from (brand, network effects, switching costs). How Lemma measures a moat →
Structurally near-identical to its closest peer, which makes this the cleanest available test of whether a quality score picks up second-order differences at all. Cross-border mix and services growth should appear in growth and efficiency rather than in profitability. Comparing the two pillar by pillar is more informative than either score alone.
Mastercard (MA) has a Lemma Quality Score of 8.6 out of 10 as of October 16, 2026, which reads as exceptional quality. A reading this high is rare: it takes strong results on nearly every pillar at once, sustained over several years of filings. Five pillars feed it, and every one of them is computed from what the company reported rather than from its share price.
No other company among the 261 Financials companies scores higher, which puts Mastercard at the very top of the group. For reference, the middle of the group scores 5.9 and a company needs 6.8 to reach its top quarter, which leaves Mastercard well above the median.
Profitability scores 9.8 out of 10, which reads as strong. None of the other Financials companies scores higher here, against a median of 6.8 across 255 of them. Returns and margins at this level leave room to reinvest, absorb a bad year or return cash to shareholders without straining the business.
Mastercard’s solvency score is 7.5 out of 10 (strong). Against a median of 8.5 among 140 Financials companies, that is below the group and the 33rd percentile. Middling solvency says the balance sheet is neither a strength nor a constraint today.
Mastercard’s growth score is 7.3 out of 10 (strong). Against a median of 4.6 among 241 Financials companies, that is well above the group and the 87th percentile. Strong growth means revenue, earnings and cash flow have been compounding faster than at most peers over the last few years.
Mastercard’s efficiency score is 9.0 out of 10 (strong). Against a median of 5.8 among 211 Financials companies, that is well above the group and the 81st percentile. A strong efficiency reading usually shows up as healthy cash conversion: reported profit arriving as real cash rather than staying on the balance sheet.
Predictability scores 9.2 out of 10, which reads as strong. None of the other Financials companies scores higher here, against a median of 4.9 across 256 of them. Steady results like these are what make a long term view of the business easier to hold.
The profile is uneven. Profitability leads at 9.8 while growth trails at 7.3, a gap of 2.5 points, so the overall averages a clear strength against a clear soft spot. Leading with profitability is the most valuable kind of strength, because margins and returns are what the other pillars ultimately feed. A growth shortfall often comes with size or a maturing market, and is less of a concern if the other pillars are strong.
Closing the gap on solvency would do the most for the overall. At the median of Financials companies, 8.5, Mastercard would score about 8.8 instead of 8.6. All five pillars could be scored, so the overall uses the full set of weights out of 100: profitability 25, solvency 20, growth 20, efficiency 15, predictability 20.
These are the Financials companies closest to Mastercard in market value. Each has its own page scored on the same five pillars, so the comparison is like for like.
How much profit the company generates from its capital and sales.
The company’s ability to service debt and meet its obligations.
How fast revenue, earnings and cash flow are compounding.
How well assets and earnings convert into cash and output.
How stable and consistent results have been over time.
Each metric is scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks, where higher is better. Metrics roll up into five pillars, and the pillars combine into the overall score using the weights shown. Sector-sensitive metrics are judged relative to peers in the same sector.
This score is a systematic, backward-looking read of reported fundamentals. It does not judge valuation, management quality, competitive moat, or future prospects, and can be distorted by one-off items or unusual accounting. Treat it as a starting point, not a recommendation.
Educational only. Not investment advice.
On this reading Mastercard scores 8.6 out of 10, which reads as exceptional quality. Its strongest pillar is profitability, its weakest is growth. Quality is not the same as a good investment: the score says nothing about the price you would pay.
Mastercard ranks at the 100th percentile of the 261 Financials companies Lemma publishes a score for. The median there is 5.9 and the top quarter starts at 6.8, against Mastercard’s 8.6.
Five pillars, each scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks and then weighted into one overall reading: profitability, solvency, growth, efficiency and predictability. Everything comes from reported financials, and nothing comes from price, sentiment or forecasts.
This page last changed on October 16, 2026. The score moves with the financial statements, so the page changes when a new filing moves the reading rather than on a schedule. Live figures for MA are in the app.
No. Quality and valuation are separate questions, and a good business at the wrong price is still a bad purchase. Score the business here, then price it with a DCF you control.
Inside Lemma Analysis the same five pillars run on every company we cover, with the metrics behind each one, current fundamentals, a DCF you control and a watchlist that tells you when the price catches up.
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