MSCI vs NDAQ vs MA Stock Comparison

Msci, Nasdaq and Mastercard Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MSCI MSCI Inc.
$637.27 +18.8% 1M +8.3% 1Y
Market cap
$48.66B
P/E
35.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.43B
Div. yield
0.01%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.
$108.62 +20.2% 1M +27.1% 1Y
Market cap
$61.53B
P/E
29.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.15B
Div. yield
–
Exchanges Financial Services
4 wins
MA Mastercard Inc
$658.39 +19.2% 1M +19.3% 1Y
Market cap
$591.00B
P/E
34.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$36.29B
Div. yield
–
Payment Networks Financial Services
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Mastercard leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Mastercard 7, Nasdaq 4). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSCINDAQMALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $48.66B $61.53B $591.00B MA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.2x 29.5x 34.9x NDAQ
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 30.8x 26.5x 30.8x NDAQ
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.3% +11.5% +15.3% MA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 40.3% 22.8% 46.7% MA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 44.1% 10.5% 56.6% MA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 2.4x 0.5x MA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +8.3% +27.1% +19.3% NDAQ
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.3%/yr +9.2%/yr +14.9%/yr MA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.5% 28.4% 23.1% MA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 51/100 53/100 51/100 NDAQ

Percentile Scorecard

MSCINDAQMA

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

AxisMSCINDAQMA
Valuation 21 #746 of 939 40 #58 of 96 12 #825 of 939
Growth 59 #337 of 814 40 #41 of 68 64 #298 of 814
Profitability 97 #25 of 828 75 #18 of 70 99 #12 of 828
Financial Health 26 #666 of 898 47 #53 of 99 53 #421 of 898
Shareholder Returns 55 #329 of 725 63 #16 of 41 25 #541 of 725
Overall 51 53 51
  • MSCI ranked among 1,003 companies in Financial Services
  • NDAQ ranked among 110 companies in Capital Markets
  • MA ranked among 1,003 companies in Financial Services

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMSCINDAQMASPY
1 month +18.8%+20.2%+19.2% -2.3%
3 months +10.9%+15.4%+15.3% -0.7%
6 months +9.4%+19.0%+30.4% +4.8%
Year to date +11.1%+11.8%+15.3% +10.3%
1 year +8.3%+27.1%+19.3% +10.3%
3 years +28.0%+116.3%+70.5% +73.0%
3 years, per year +8.6%+29.3%+19.5% +20.1%
5 years -1.3%+55.6%+99.9% +61.9%
5 years, per year -0.3%+9.2%+14.9% +10.1%
10 years +708.5%+411.1%+533.1% +258.6%
10 years, per year +23.2%+17.7%+20.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMSCINDAQMASPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.5%28.4%23.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.4%29.9%22.7% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.280.550.24 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.280.950.83 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -43.9%-33.4%-28.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.0%0.0%0.0% -3.5%
52-week high $643.83$108.62$658.39 $779.14
52-week low $511.84$76.85$471.55 $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.

MultipleMSCINDAQMA
P/E now vs peer median 33.2xmedian 13.6x 29.1xmedian 29.1x 34.2xmedian 13.6x
P/S now vs peer median 13.3xmedian 3.3x 6.6xmedian 2.5x 15.8xmedian 3.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.7xmedian 6.0x 20.3xmedian 13.6x 23.4xmedian 6.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 29.0xmedian 11.0x 26.9xmedian 16.8x 35.6xmedian 11.0x
P/B now vs peer median -15.1xmedian 1.2x 5.1xmedian 2.2x 84.9xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.00median 0.92 1.59median 0.52 1.87median 0.92

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 monthsMSCINDAQMA
Revenue $3.43B $9.15B $36.29B
Gross profit $2.85B $5.78B –
Operating income $1.91B $2.73B $21.27B
Net income $1.38B $2.08B $16.96B
Free cash flow $1.58B $2.26B $16.08B
R&D $184.30M – –
EPS (diluted) $19.14 $3.70 $19.20
Cash & equivalents $261.00M $365.00M $10.15B
Total debt $6.72B $8.74B $23.94B
Shares (diluted) 72.30M 563.31M 883.00M
Enterprise value $47.14B $58.97B $551.09B

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
MetricMSCINDAQMA
P/E 33.2x 29.1x 34.2x
P/FCF 29.0x 26.9x 35.6x
P/Operating cash flow 28.3x 23.8x 34.0x
P/S 13.3x 6.6x 15.8x
P/B -15.1x 5.1x 84.9x
P/Tangible book -11.7x 10.3x 546.5x
EV/EBITDA 24.7x 20.3x 23.4x
EV/EBIT 27.3x 25.2x 27.6x
EV/Revenue 15.2x 7.5x 16.2x
EV/FCF 33.1x 30.5x 36.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 32.3x 27.1x 34.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.00 1.59 1.87

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSCINDAQMA
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.3% 11.5% 15.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.4% 15.1% 14.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.0% 13.7% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.7% 16.2% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 15.4% 23.1% 18.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 20.1% 15.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 13.1% 28.2% 19.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 23.6% 15.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 19.8% 31.8% 22.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 18.3% 18.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.4% 9.0% -3.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.6% 12.8% 15.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.7% 7.6% -5.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.4% 11.6% 15.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSCINDAQMA
Gross margin 82.9% 63.2% –
EBITDA margin 61.6% 37.0% 69.2%
Operating margin 55.7% 29.8% 58.6%
Pretax margin 47.3% 28.5% 57.6%
Net margin 40.3% 22.8% 46.7%
FCF margin 45.9% 24.7% 44.3%
Operating cash flow margin 47.0% 27.8% 46.5%
Return on equity – 17.4% 274.4%
Return on assets 24.7% 7.6% 29.3%
Return on invested capital 44.1% 10.5% 56.6%
Return on capital employed 47.5% 12.0% 63.1%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.3x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.2x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 3.7% 1.9% 1.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSCINDAQMA
Debt / assets 120.0% 31.9% 41.2%
Debt / equity -2.2x 0.7x 3.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 2.4x 0.5x
Debt / FCF 4.3x 3.9x 1.5x
Liabilities / assets 153.9% 56.2% 88.4%
Equity / assets -53.9% 43.8% 11.6%
Interest coverage 6.9x 7.9x 26.2x
Current ratio 0.8x 1.0x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.4x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.1x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 6.39 3.57 10.83

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSCINDAQMA
Dividend yield 1.2% 1.1% 0.5%
Net buyback yield 4.4% 2.4% 2.7%
Shareholder yield 5.7% 3.5% 3.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 42.1% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 37.0% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 6.7% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.5% – –

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.

ConsensusMSCINDAQMA
Forward P/E 30.8xFY2026 26.5xFY2026 30.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.78FY2026 $4.03FY2026 $20.99FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +20.3%FY2026 +15.8%FY2026 +23.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.3% +11.2% +14.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.73BFY2026 $6.10BFY2026 $38.99BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +19.2%FY2026 +16.1%FY2026 +18.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +9.7% +13.7% +0.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSCINDAQMA
Held by institutions 92.4% 83.8% 87.5%
Institutions holding 1,082 1,084 3,586
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.6% +1.0% +0.6%
Institutions buying 514 539 1,590
Institutions selling 407 398 1,528
Buyers to sellers 1.26 1.35 1.04

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.

MSCINDAQMA
MSCI 1.00 0.61 0.39
NDAQ 0.61 1.00 0.40
MA 0.39 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSCI, NDAQ and MA?

Mastercard (MA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Msci (MSCI) $48.66B, Nasdaq (NDAQ) $61.53B, Mastercard (MA) $591.00B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSCI, NDAQ and MA?

Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Msci (MSCI) 35.2x, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 29.5x, Mastercard (MA) 34.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nasdaq (NDAQ) is cheapest (Msci (MSCI) 30.8x, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 26.5x, Mastercard (MA) 30.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mastercard (MA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Msci (MSCI) +12.3%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) +11.5%, Mastercard (MA) +15.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mastercard (MA) has the highest net margin (Msci (MSCI) 40.3%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 22.8%, Mastercard (MA) 46.7%). On return on invested capital, Mastercard (MA) leads (Msci (MSCI) 44.1%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 10.5%, Mastercard (MA) 56.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nasdaq (NDAQ) returned the most: Msci (MSCI) +8.3%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) +27.1%, Mastercard (MA) +19.3%. Over five years, Mastercard (MA) compounded fastest (Msci (MSCI) -0.3%/yr, Nasdaq (NDAQ) +9.2%/yr, Mastercard (MA) +14.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Msci (MSCI) 0.01%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 0.00%, Mastercard (MA) 0.00%. Nasdaq (NDAQ) and Mastercard (MA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mastercard (MA) has been the steadiest (Msci (MSCI) 29.5%, Nasdaq (NDAQ) 28.4%, Mastercard (MA) 23.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 7. 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.