AXP vs MA
American Express and Mastercard, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- AXPKeep4.7%
American Express' report on Oct 23 beat profit forecasts by 4.7%.
- MABuy moresales growth, past year15%
Mastercard's sales grew 15% over the past year, and its report on Oct 29 beat profit forecasts by 3.3%.
Percent return
- AXP−11.73%
- MA+19.10%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: AXP $224B, MA $498B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: AXP +12%, MA +15%. MA is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: AXP $17, MA $29. AXP is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: AXP 19¢, MA 60¢. MA is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: AXP −$16.5B, MA −$13.4B. MA is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: AXP −12%, MA +19%. MA is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: AXP 24%, MA 22%. MA is ahead.
| Measure | AXPAmerican Express | MAMastercard |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $322.92 | $660.22 |
| Today | −0.17% | Best in this row: +0.21% |
| 1 month | +4.85% | Best in this row: +12.15% |
| 3 months | −4.96% | Best in this row: +17.77% |
| This year | −11.68% | Best in this row: +16.48% |
| 1 year | −11.73% | Best in this row: +19.10% |
| 5 years | +89.50% | Best in this row: +92.11% |
| From 52-week high | −15.2% | −1.9% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 24% | Best in this row: 22% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $224B | $498B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | Best in this row: 20.1× | 32.6× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | Best in this row: 16.5× | 29.4× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | Best in this row: 1.18× | 1.38× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 3.0× | 15.7× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | Best in this row: 15.5× | 35.4× |
| Company value vs operating profit | – | 25.3× |
| Price vs earnings, against its own past (0 = cheapest) | Best in this row: 55 | 100 |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +11.6% | Best in this row: +15.3% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | +9.7% | Best in this row: +13.8% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | +12.0% | Best in this row: +21.2% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | +9.9% | Best in this row: +15.7% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | – | 100.0% |
| Kept as operating profit | 19.4% | Best in this row: 60.1% |
| Kept as final profit | 16.6% | Best in this row: 46.7% |
| Kept as spare cash | 19.1% | Best in this row: 44.3% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | 35.9% | Best in this row: 231.4% |
| Profit on all money put in | 11.8% | Best in this row: 91.0% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | −$16.5B | Best in this row: −$13.4B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | Best in this row: 1.68× | 3.55× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | Best in this row: 1.58× | 1.01× |
| Dividend yield | Best in this row: 1.18% | 0.53% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | 21% | Best in this row: 18% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Keep | Buy more |
| Why | American Express' report on Oct 23 beat profit forecasts by 4.7%. | Mastercard's sales grew 15% over the past year, and its report on Oct 29 beat profit forecasts by 3.3%. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | 64 | Best in this row: 69 |
| Our value score | 43 | Best in this row: 44 |
| Our growth score | 66 | Best in this row: 77 |
| Our quality score | 78 | Best in this row: 82 |
| Our price trend score | Best in this row: 68 | 66 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Hold | Buy |
| To average analyst target | Best in this row: +13.4% | +7.5% |
| Average analyst target | $366.18 | $709.57 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | 48% | Best in this row: 88% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: 0 | −2 |
| Analysts covering | 17 | 27 |
MA: our only Buy more, with faster sales growth
Our pick of these: Mastercard
Sales growth +15.3% vs +11.6%
AXP +11.6%, MA +15.3%.Keeps 60.1% of sales as operating profit, vs 19.4%
AXP 19.4%, MA 60.1%.1-year return +19.1% vs −11.7%, S&P 500 +12.4%
AXP −11.7%, MA +19.1%.Where it loses: AXP has a lower P/E per point of growth, 1.43 vs 1.92
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.