Compare StocksMA vs TSCO

Mastercard Incorporated (MA) vs Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-09-17, MA is fairly valued at $568, with a DCF intrinsic value of $562 and a margin of safety of -1%. TSCO is overvalued at $33, with an intrinsic value of $29 and a margin of safety of -15%. Of the two, MA has the wider margin of safety.

MA
Mastercard Incorporated
$568.22
VS
TSCO
Tractor Supply Company
$33.05

Rewards

MA
  • Mastercard Incorporated has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • Gross margin of 100.0% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Mastercard Incorporated scores 99/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
TSCO
  • Tractor Supply Company has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • Tractor Supply Company scores 86/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.

Risks

MA
  • High leverage (2.33x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
  • 13 insider sales totaling $62.1M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
TSCO
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.04 of earning power — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
  • High leverage (2.40x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.

Key Valuation Metrics

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MA
TSCO
Valuation
$16.96B
Free Cash Flow
$740.49M
3.41%
FCF Yield
4.30%
31.27
Trailing P/E
17.22
24.68
Forward P/E
16.14
Quality & Moat
55.99%
ROIC
16.37%
241.20%
ROE
39.51%
100.00%
Gross Margin
36.50%
1.48
PEG Ratio
1.55
Balance Sheet Safety
2.33
Net Debt / Equity
2.40
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
0.59
Net Debt / EBITDA
3.27
0.61%
Dividend Yield
2.93%
MA: 5Ties: 3TSCO: 4
MATSCO

Historical Fundamentals

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MA

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

TSCO

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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MA
$5.62
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$31.68B
Δ Market Cap
+$177.96B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
TSCO
$0.82
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Mediocre Allocator
Σ Retained
$1.89B
Δ Market Cap
+$1.55B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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MA
1.1% Overvalued
Price is 1.1% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $568.22
Fair Value: $562.28
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
TSCO
15.3% Overvalued
Price is 15.3% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $33.05
Fair Value: $28.67
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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MA

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $568?

+15.0%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +13.3%

The market implies +15.0% Owner Earnings growth, roughly in line with history — reasonably priced.

Standard FCF implies +13.3%, reflecting ongoing growth investment.

TSCO

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $33?

+8.7%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +14.0%

The market implies +8.7% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +14.0%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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MA
99/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
TSCO
86/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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MA
-2.53
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
TSCO
-2.60
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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MA
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 91.2%Retail & Other 8.7%
No. of Institutional Holders4,818
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
TSCO
Insiders 0.3%Institutions 96.8%Retail & Other 2.9%
No. of Institutional Holders1,482
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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MA
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
TSCO
4
Buys (3M)
5
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $658,321
HAM MARGARET M
Director
$2,975
@ $35.42 · 2026-09-04
MORRIS EDNA K
Director
$50,606
@ $32.44 · 2026-08-04
LAWTON HARRY A III
Chief Executive Officer
$501,524
@ $32.15 · 2026-08-04
HAWAUX ANDRE J
Director
$100,264
@ $31.83 · 2026-08-03
HAM MARGARET M
Director
$2,952
@ $30.43 · 2026-06-08
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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MA
13
Sells (3M)
14
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $66.62M
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Officer
$1.91M
@ $584.00 · 2026-09-02
KIRKPATRICK LINDA PISTECCHIA
Officer
$547,837
@ $593.54 · 2026-08-31
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Officer
$4.87M
@ $576.53 · 2026-08-20
KIRKPATRICK LINDA PISTECCHIA
Officer
$673,201
@ $565.24 · 2026-08-17
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Officer
$1.72M
@ $571.87 · 2026-08-05
MIEBACH MICHAEL
Chief Executive Officer
$8.84M
@ $575.00 · 2026-08-05
KIRKPATRICK LINDA PISTECCHIA
Officer
$2.44M
@ $570.31 · 2026-08-04
MIEBACH MICHAEL
Chief Executive Officer
$19.08M
@ $573.84 · 2026-08-03
MCLAUGHLIN EDWARD GRUNDE
Officer
$10.59M
@ $534.87 · 2026-07-15
ARKELL SANDRA A
Officer
$185,760
@ $540.00 · 2026-07-15
ARKELL SANDRA A
Officer
$216,000
@ $540.00 · 2026-07-07
SESHADRI RAJEEV
Officer
$3.58M
@ $526.37 · 2026-07-02
MCLAUGHLIN EDWARD GRUNDE
Officer
$7.49M
@ $525.19 · 2026-07-01
LING HAI
Officer
$4.48M
@ $499.20 · 2026-02-24
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Chief Financial Officer
$10.20M
@ $591.00 · 2025-09-02
LING HAI
Officer
$2.69M
@ $600.00 · 2025-08-22
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Chief Financial Officer
$10.46M
@ $586.89 · 2025-08-19
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Chief Financial Officer
$3.83M
@ $566.46 · 2025-08-05
GENACHOWSKI JULIUS
Director
$178,049
@ $570.67 · 2025-07-07
KIRKPATRICK LINDA PISTECCHIA
Officer
$536,480
@ $560.00 · 2025-06-30
SESHADRI RAJEEV
Officer
$601,447
@ $546.77 · 2025-06-27
GENACHOWSKI JULIUS
Director
$173,910
@ $561.00 · 2025-06-24
KIRKPATRICK LINDA PISTECCHIA
Officer
$536,480
@ $560.00 · 2025-06-24
SESHADRI RAJEEV
Officer
$508,474
@ $535.80 · 2025-06-20
VOSBURG CRAIG
Officer
$5.02M
@ $532.97 · 2025-06-20
SESHADRI RAJEEV
Officer
$1.76M
@ $561.78 · 2025-06-16
KIRKPATRICK LINDA PISTECCHIA
Officer
$549,373
@ $572.86 · 2025-06-13
VOSBURG CRAIG
Officer
$5.55M
@ $588.18 · 2025-06-12
VOSBURG CRAIG
Officer
$8.22M
@ $585.05 · 2025-06-05
ARKELL SANDRA A
Officer
$218,223
@ $577.31 · 2025-05-15
ARKELL SANDRA A
Officer
$257,535
@ $572.30 · 2025-05-12
MIEBACH MICHAEL
Chief Executive Officer
$8.68M
@ $550.16 · 2025-03-26
MCLAUGHLIN EDWARD GRUNDE
Officer
$3.81M
@ $534.68 · 2025-03-19
VOSBURG CRAIG
Officer
$6.12M
@ $556.14 · 2025-03-05
MIEBACH MICHAEL
Chief Executive Officer
$9.78M
@ $553.76 · 2025-03-05
VOSBURG CRAIG
Officer
$6.19M
@ $562.72 · 2025-02-26
MCLAUGHLIN EDWARD GRUNDE
Officer
$6.18M
@ $564.99 · 2025-02-18
VOSBURG CRAIG
Officer
$7.97M
@ $565.00 · 2025-02-18
MIEBACH MICHAEL
Chief Executive Officer
$10.17M
@ $564.95 · 2025-02-18
SACHIN J. MEHRA
Chief Financial Officer
$2.36M
@ $500.44 · 2024-11-01
MADABHUSHI VENKATA RAJAMANNAR
Officer
$2.30M
@ $491.03 · 2024-09-27
MADABHUSHI VENKATA RAJAMANNAR
Officer
$2.29M
@ $489.86 · 2024-09-20
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
TSCO
0
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $11.96M
YANKEE COLIN
Officer
$618,263
@ $55.35 · 2026-02-13
ESTEP JONATHAN S
Officer
$3.23M
@ $54.03 · 2026-02-11
MILLS ROBERT D.
Chief Technology Officer
$3.41M
@ $54.12 · 2026-02-11
BARTON KURT D.
Chief Financial Officer
$101,378
@ $53.81 · 2026-02-10
BARTON KURT D.
Chief Financial Officer
$104,050
@ $53.94 · 2026-02-06
LAWTON HARRY A III
Chief Executive Officer
$4.50M
@ $53.16 · 2026-02-03
KERSEY MELISSA
Officer
$377,426
@ $59.79 · 2025-08-13
WEIKEL MARK J
Director
$479,360
@ $59.92 · 2025-08-07
YANKEE COLIN
Officer
$390,121
@ $58.40 · 2025-07-28
BARTON KURT D.
Chief Financial Officer
$5.76M
@ $63.96 · 2025-07-24
ELLISON-SOUTHALL NONI L
General Counsel
$332,592
@ $63.96 · 2025-07-24
JACKSON DENISE L
Director
$68,152
@ $58.50 · 2025-07-22
JACKSON DENISE L
Director
$115,500
@ $57.75 · 2025-07-10
JACKSON DENISE L
Director
$57,000
@ $57.00 · 2025-07-09
ESTEP JONATHAN S
Officer
$2.01M
@ $56.00 · 2025-07-07
JACKSON DENISE L
Director
$258,965
@ $55.93 · 2025-07-07
JACKSON DENISE L
Director
$85,250
@ $55.00 · 2025-07-02
ESTEP JONATHAN S
Officer
$3.00M
@ $53.00 · 2025-06-23
RUBIN MATTHEW LAWRENCE
President
$145,446
@ $51.76 · 2025-05-14
RUBIN MATTHEW LAWRENCE
Officer
$222,091
@ $57.69 · 2025-02-20
BARTON KURT D.
Chief Financial Officer
$680,176
@ $56.00 · 2025-02-13
YANKEE COLIN
Officer
$1.33M
@ $54.15 · 2025-02-11
KERSEY MELISSA
Officer
$494,472
@ $53.17 · 2025-02-06
LAWTON HARRY A III
Chief Executive Officer
$4.81M
@ $54.59 · 2025-02-03
BARTON KURT D.
Chief Financial Officer
$6.96M
@ $295.64 · 2024-10-01
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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MA
FearGreed
😐Neutral(58/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
TSCO
FearGreed
😨Fear(31/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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MA
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (58)
TSCO
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (31)
View MA Full AnalysisView TSCO Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: MA vs TSCO

Is Mastercard Incorporated or Tractor Supply Company more undervalued in 2026?

Based on our discounted cash flow model, MA trades at a -1.1% margin of safety (intrinsic value $562 vs. price $568), compared to TSCO's -15.3% margin of safety (intrinsic $29 vs. $33).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Mastercard Incorporated or Tractor Supply Company?

MA scores 99/100 (Wide moat), while TSCO scores 86/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Which company has better free cash flow, Mastercard Incorporated or Tractor Supply Company?

Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) generates a 4.3% free cash flow yield, compared to Mastercard Incorporated's 3.4%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Mastercard Incorporated or Tractor Supply Company?

MA earns 56.0% ROIC versus TSCO's 16.4%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Mastercard Incorporated's or Tractor Supply Company's?

MA's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to TSCO's 79/100 (Safe). MA has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

MA vs TSCO: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026? | SafetyMargin.io