Mastercard Incorporated (MA) vs Valero Energy Corporation (VLO): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-06-19, MA is fairly valued at $490, with a DCF intrinsic value of $571 and a margin of safety of 14%. VLO is undervalued at $236, with an intrinsic value of $376 and a margin of safety of 37%. Of the two, VLO has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★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.
- ★Share count has been reduced by 20% over the past 4 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
- ★Altman Z-Score of 4.64 indicates very low bankruptcy risk — the company is firmly in the safe zone.
Risks
- ⚠High leverage (1.60x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
- ⚠12 insider sales with no purchases over the past 12 months — a persistent pattern of insider selling.
- ⚠ROIC has declined by 24.6 percentage points over the past 4 years, which may signal competitive erosion.
- ⚠Gross margin of 14.6% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
- ⚠FCF yield of 6.8% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →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.
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
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $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
Learn more →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →What growth rate is the market pricing in at $490?
The market implies +13.0% Owner Earnings growth, roughly in line with history — reasonably priced.
Standard FCF implies +12.0%, reflecting ongoing growth investment.
What growth rate is the market pricing in at $236?
The market implies +4.8% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.
Standard FCF implies a demanding +4.5%, reflecting heavy growth investment.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.
Narrow moat with reinvestment efficiency as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability would strengthen the moat.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
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.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"
"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"
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
Learn more →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: MA vs VLO
Is Mastercard Incorporated or Valero Energy Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, VLO trades at a 37.1% margin of safety (intrinsic value $376 vs. price $236), compared to MA's 14.2% margin of safety (intrinsic $571 vs. $490).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, Mastercard Incorporated or Valero Energy Corporation?▼
MA scores 99/100 (Wide moat), while VLO scores 46/100 (Narrow 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 Valero Energy Corporation?▼
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) generates a 6.8% free cash flow yield, compared to Mastercard Incorporated's 3.7%. 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 Valero Energy Corporation?▼
MA earns 63.5% ROIC versus VLO's 14.7%. 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 Valero Energy Corporation's?▼
MA's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to VLO's 84/100 (Very Safe). MA has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.