Which has the lower trailing P/E, DFS or MA?

DFS has the lower trailing P/E: DFS trades at 10.67 and MA at 31.31. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, DFS or MA?

Over the past five years, MA grew revenue faster — DFS at a 13.84% CAGR versus MA at 16.09%.

Does DFS or MA pay a bigger dividend?

MA pays a dividend (0.60% yield), while DFS is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Is DFS or MA more profitable?

MA runs the higher net margin — DFS at 21.65% versus MA at 46.34%.

How have DFS and MA total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, DFS delivered 15.41% and MA delivered 19.83% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Discover Financial Services (DFS) vs Mastercard Incorporated (MA)

A side-by-side comparison of Discover Financial Services and Mastercard Incorporated across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 11, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

DFS

Discover Financial Services

$50.34B

$200.05Financial ServicesDelayed quote: May 16, 2025, 4:00 PM EDT

Mastercard Incorporated

$499.20B

$569.19Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — DFS vs MA

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

DFS +317.4% (+15.4%/yr)MA +564.0% (+20.8%/yr)MA compounded faster over this window

DFS MA

DFS vs MA: by the numbers

•MA is the larger company ($499.20B vs $50.34B market cap).
•DFS trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (10.67 vs 31.31 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•MA converts more revenue to profit (46.34% vs 21.65% net margin).
•MA grew revenue faster over the past five years (16.09% vs 13.84% CAGR).
•MA pays a dividend (0.60% yield), while DFS is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	DFS	MA
P/E ratio	10.67	31.31
Forward P/E	12.59	28.52
P/S ratio	2.27	14.23
P/B ratio	2.65	88.97

Profitability

Metric	DFS	MA
Gross margin	89.46%	100.00%
Operating margin	88.29%	59.84%
Net margin	21.65%	46.34%
ROE	25.29%	289.73%

Dividends

Metric	DFS	MA
Dividend yield	N/A	0.60%
Payout ratio	N/A	18.54%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	DFS	MA
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	13.84%	16.09%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	14.26%	20.93%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	42.81%	10.88%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, DFS or MA?: DFS has the lower trailing P/E: DFS trades at 10.67 and MA at 31.31. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, DFS or MA?: Over the past five years, MA grew revenue faster — DFS at a 13.84% CAGR versus MA at 16.09%.
Does DFS or MA pay a bigger dividend?: MA pays a dividend (0.60% yield), while DFS is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.
Is DFS or MA more profitable?: MA runs the higher net margin — DFS at 21.65% versus MA at 46.34%.
How have DFS and MA total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, DFS delivered 15.41% and MA delivered 19.83% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full DFS analysis Full MA analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Discover Financial Services P/E ratio Mastercard P/E ratio Mastercard dividend yield Discover Financial Services ROE Mastercard ROE Discover Financial Services operating margin Mastercard operating margin Discover Financial Services revenue growth Mastercard revenue growth

Discover Financial Services & Mastercard appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 11, 2026.