MA vs NDAQ vs SPGI Stock Comparison

Mastercard, Nasdaq and S&P Global Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MA Mastercard Inc
$672.46 +19.1% 1M +21.7% 1Y
Market cap
$582.08B
P/E
35.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$36.29B
Div. yield
0.52%
Payment Networks Financial Services
6 wins
NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.
$109.70 +19.0% 1M +27.8% 1Y
Market cap
$61.26B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.15B
Div. yield
1.06%
Exchanges Financial Services
2 wins
SPGI S&P Global Inc.
$481.62 +23.2% 1M -3.5% 1Y
Market cap
$139.62B
P/E
28.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.21B
Div. yield
0.80%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mastercard leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Mastercard 6, S&P Global 4, Nasdaq 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMANDAQSPGILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $582.08B $61.26B $139.62B MA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.0x 29.4x 28.1x SPGI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 32.0x 27.2x 25.5x SPGI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +15.3% +11.5% +18.2% SPGI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 46.7% 22.8% 29.0% MA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 56.6% 10.5% 14.9% MA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 2.4x 1.2x MA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.52% 1.06% 0.80% NDAQ
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +21.7% +27.8% -3.5% NDAQ
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.0%/yr +9.1%/yr +0.9%/yr MA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 23.4% 28.5% 30.6% MA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 51/100 53/100 60/100 SPGI

Percentile Scorecard

MANDAQSPGI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisMANDAQSPGI
Valuation 14 #831 of 963 42 #60 of 103 25 #720 of 963
Growth 64 #297 of 823 39 #43 of 70 75 #203 of 823
Profitability 99 #12 of 845 77 #18 of 74 91 #81 of 845
Financial Health 53 #421 of 896 48 #52 of 99 60 #356 of 896
Shareholder Returns 25 #549 of 731 59 #17 of 40 47 #390 of 731
Overall 51 53 60
  • MA ranked among 1,001 companies in Financial Services
  • NDAQ ranked among 110 companies in Capital Markets
  • SPGI ranked among 1,001 companies in Financial Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodMANDAQSPGISPY
1 month +19.1%+19.0%+23.2% -1.0%
3 months +17.9%+16.0%+17.5% -0.4%
6 months +36.7%+23.0%+13.7% +4.5%
Year to date +17.8%+12.9%-7.8% +12.4%
1 year +21.7%+27.8%-3.5% +13.6%
3 years +74.2%+118.4%+25.8% +76.4%
3 years, per year +20.3%+29.8%+8.0% +20.8%
5 years +92.8%+54.6%+4.6% +63.7%
5 years, per year +14.0%+9.1%+0.9% +10.4%
10 years +552.7%+408.8%+292.9% +267.7%
10 years, per year +20.6%+17.7%+14.7% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureMANDAQSPGISPY
Volatility, 1Y 23.4%28.5%30.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.7%30.0%35.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.280.560.35 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.920.97-0.12 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -28.6%-33.4%-40.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%0.0%-11.8% -1.6%
52-week high $672.46$109.70$546.35 $779.14
52-week low $471.55$76.85$386.35 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleMANDAQSPGI
P/E now vs peer median 35.0xmedian 13.8x 29.4xmedian 29.7x 28.1xmedian 13.8x
P/S now vs peer median 16.0xmedian 3.3x 6.7xmedian 3.0x 8.1xmedian 3.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.7xmedian 6.0x 20.5xmedian 13.6x 16.4xmedian 6.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 36.2xmedian 11.0x 27.1xmedian 15.1x 23.9xmedian 11.0x
P/B now vs peer median 86.2xmedian 1.3x 5.1xmedian 2.4x 7.0xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.91median 0.95 1.61median 0.55 0.94median 0.95

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsMANDAQSPGI
Revenue $36.29B $9.15B $17.21B
Gross profit – $5.78B $12.21B
Operating income $21.27B $2.73B $7.77B
Net income $16.96B $2.08B $5.40B
Free cash flow $16.08B $2.26B $5.84B
EPS (diluted) $19.20 $3.70 $17.10
Cash & equivalents $10.15B $365.00M $2.44B
Total debt $23.94B $8.74B $13.06B
Shares (diluted) 883.00M 563.31M 291.60M
Enterprise value $542.16B $58.70B $134.82B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricMANDAQSPGI
P/E 35.0x 29.4x 28.1x
P/FCF 36.2x 27.1x 23.9x
P/Operating cash flow 34.5x 24.1x 23.3x
P/S 16.0x 6.7x 8.1x
P/B 86.2x 5.1x 7.0x
P/Tangible book 554.9x 10.4x 17.7x
EV/EBITDA 23.7x 20.5x 16.4x
EV/EBIT 28.0x 25.5x 19.3x
EV/Revenue 16.4x 7.6x 8.7x
EV/FCF 37.1x 30.8x 25.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.3x 27.3x 25.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.91 1.61 0.94

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMANDAQSPGI
Revenue growth (1Y) 15.3% 11.5% 18.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.2% 15.1% 11.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 13.7% 19.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 16.2% 14.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.6% 23.1% 29.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% 20.1% 26.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 19.0% 28.2% 18.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.8% 23.6% 25.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 22.0% 31.8% 23.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.3% 18.3% 29.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -3.5% 9.0% 18.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.5% 12.8% 19.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -5.4% 7.6% 19.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.2% 11.6% 20.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMANDAQSPGI
Gross margin – 63.2% 70.9%
EBITDA margin 69.2% 37.0% 53.1%
Operating margin 58.6% 29.8% 45.1%
Pretax margin 57.6% 28.5% 43.4%
Net margin 46.7% 22.8% 29.0%
FCF margin 44.3% 24.7% 33.9%
Operating cash flow margin 46.5% 27.8% 34.8%
Return on equity 274.4% 17.4% 21.0%
Return on assets 29.3% 7.6% 9.7%
Return on invested capital 56.6% 10.5% 14.9%
Return on capital employed 63.1% 12.0% 16.6%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.3x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 1.2x 1.1x
Stock comp / revenue 1.8% 1.9% 1.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMANDAQSPGI
Debt / assets 41.2% 31.9% 27.2%
Debt / equity 3.5x 0.7x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 2.4x 1.2x
Debt / FCF 1.5x 3.9x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 88.4% 56.2% 58.7%
Equity / assets 11.6% 43.8% 41.3%
Interest coverage 26.2x 7.9x 24.0x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.0x 0.7x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.4x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 10.93 3.60 4.29

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMANDAQSPGI
Dividend yield 0.5% 1.1% 0.8%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 2.4% 4.7%
Shareholder yield 3.1% 3.4% 5.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 21.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 19.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – -1.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 0.2%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusMANDAQSPGI
Forward P/E 32.0xFY2026 27.2xFY2026 25.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.99FY2026 $4.03FY2026 $18.86FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +23.4%FY2026 +15.8%FY2026 +11.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +14.7% +11.2% +12.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $38.99BFY2026 $6.10BFY2026 $15.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.9%FY2026 +16.1%FY2026 +0.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.4% +13.7% +6.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMANDAQSPGI
Held by institutions 87.5% 83.8% 87.5%
Institutions holding 3,588 1,084 2,004
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +1.0% +1.6%
Institutions buying 1,590 539 873
Institutions selling 1,530 398 877
Buyers to sellers 1.04 1.35 1.00

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

MANDAQSPGI
MA 1.00 0.41 0.45
NDAQ 0.41 1.00 0.66
SPGI 0.45 0.66 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MA, NDAQ and SPGI?

Mastercard (MA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mastercard (MA) $582.08B, Nasdaq (NDAQ) $61.26B, S&P Global (SPGI) $139.62B.

Which stock is cheaper, MA, NDAQ and SPGI?

S&P Global (SPGI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mastercard (MA) 35.0x, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 29.4x, S&P Global (SPGI) 28.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, S&P Global (SPGI) is cheapest (Mastercard (MA) 32.0x, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 27.2x, S&P Global (SPGI) 25.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

S&P Global (SPGI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mastercard (MA) +15.3%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) +11.5%, S&P Global (SPGI) +18.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mastercard (MA) has the highest net margin (Mastercard (MA) 46.7%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 22.8%, S&P Global (SPGI) 29.0%). On return on invested capital, Mastercard (MA) leads (Mastercard (MA) 56.6%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 10.5%, S&P Global (SPGI) 14.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nasdaq (NDAQ) returned the most: Mastercard (MA) +21.7%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) +27.8%, S&P Global (SPGI) -3.5%. Over five years, Mastercard (MA) compounded fastest (Mastercard (MA) +14.0%/yr, Nasdaq (NDAQ) +9.1%/yr, S&P Global (SPGI) +0.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Nasdaq (NDAQ) has the highest dividend yield: Mastercard (MA) 0.52%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 1.06%, S&P Global (SPGI) 0.80%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mastercard (MA) has been the steadiest (Mastercard (MA) 23.4%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 28.5%, S&P Global (SPGI) 30.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MA, NDAQ and SPGI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mastercard (MA) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.