Mastercard (LIM:MA) Piotroski F-Score: 8 (As of Jun. 24, 2026) — 14% Above Median


LIM:MA Mastercard Inc LIM:MA
91 GF Score
Price $487.54
GF Value $654.48
Valuation Modestly Undervalued
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What is Mastercard Piotroski F-Score?

Mastercard LIM:MA 91 Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jun. 24, 2026, which is 14% above its 10-year median of 7.00. GuruFocus rates LIM:MA with a GF Score™ of 91/100 and a GF Value™ of $654.48 (Modestly Undervalued). Among 532 Credit Services companies, Mastercard ranks better than 98.12% on this metric.

Good Sign:

Piotroski F-Score is 8, indicates a very healthy situation.

The zones of discrimination were as such:

Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3

Mastercard has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.

The historical rank and industry rank for Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:

LIM:MA' s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 5   Med: 7   Max: 9
Current: 8

During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Mastercard was 9. The lowest was 5. And the median was 7.

Mastercard  (LIM:MA) Piotroski F-Score Explanation

The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.

He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.

In 2000, he wrote a research paper called "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers" (pdf).

He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.

What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.

Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.

Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).

Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.


Mastercard Piotroski F-Score Related Terms


Mastercard Piotroski F-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Mastercard Piotroski F-Score Chart

Mastercard Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Piotroski F-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 8.00 8.00 7.00 7.00 9.00

Mastercard Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Piotroski F-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 8.00 8.00 6.00 9.00 8.00

LIM:MA vs V, AXP, COF: Piotroski F-Score Comparison

For the Credit Services subindustry, Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Mastercard Piotroski F-Score vs Credit Services Industry

For the Credit Services industry and Financial Services sector, Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score falls into.


LIM:MA
91GF Score
Mastercard Inc LIM:MA
Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

How is the Piotroski F-Score calculated?

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

This Year (Mar26) TTM:Last Year (Mar25) TTM:
Net Income was 3701 + 3927 + 4060 + 3882 = $15,570 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 4603 + 5663 + 5002 + 2999 = $18,267 Mil.
Revenue was 8133 + 8602 + 8806 + 8398 = $33,939 Mil.
Gross Profit was 6281 + 6709 + 6988 + 6361 = $26,339 Mil.
Average Total Assets from the begining of this year (Mar25)
to the end of this year (Mar26) was
(48470 + 51431 + 53289 + 54157 + 52449) / 5 = $51959.2 Mil.
Total Assets at the begining of this year (Mar25) was $48,470 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $17,212 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $22,498 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $22,934 Mil.
Net Income was 3258 + 3263 + 3342 + 3280 = $13,143 Mil.

Revenue was 6961 + 7369 + 7489 + 7250 = $29,069 Mil.
Gross Profit was 5354 + 5470 + 5836 + 5562 = $22,222 Mil.
Average Total Assets from the begining of last year (Mar24)
to the end of last year (Mar25) was
(42602 + 42333 + 47237 + 48081 + 48470) / 5 = $45744.6 Mil.
Total Assets at the begining of last year (Mar24) was $42,602 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $18,802 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $19,804 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $17,828 Mil.

*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.

Profitability

Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)

Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.

Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.

Mastercard's current Net Income (TTM) was 15,570. ==> Positive ==> Score 1.

Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)

Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.

Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.

Mastercard's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 18,267. ==> Positive ==> Score 1.

Question 3. Change in Return on Assets

Compare this year's return on assets (1) to last year's return on assets.

Score 1 if it's higher, 0 if it's lower.

ROA (This Year)=Net Income/Total Assets (Mar25)
=15570/48470
=0.32122963

ROA (Last Year)=Net Income/Total Assets (Mar24)
=13143/42602
=0.30850664

Mastercard's return on assets of this year was 0.32122963. Mastercard's return on assets of last year was 0.30850664. ==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.

Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)

Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)

Score 1 if CFROA > ROA, 0 if CFROA <= ROA.

Mastercard's current Net Income (TTM) was 15,570. Mastercard's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 18,267. ==> 18,267 > 15,570 ==> CFROA > ROA ==> Score 1.

Funding

Question 5. Change in Gearing or Leverage

Compare this year's gearing (long-term debt divided by average total assets) to last year's gearing.

Score 0 if this year's gearing is higher, 1 otherwise.

Gearing (This Year: Mar26)=Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation/Average Total Assets from Mar25 to Mar26
=17212/51959.2
=0.33125991

Gearing (Last Year: Mar25)=Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation/Average Total Assets from Mar24 to Mar25
=18802/45744.6
=0.41102119

Mastercard's gearing of this year was 0.33125991. Mastercard's gearing of last year was 0.41102119. ==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.

Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)

Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.

Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower

Current Ratio (This Year: Mar26)=Total Current Assets/Total Current Liabilities
=22498/22934
=0.98098892

Current Ratio (Last Year: Mar25)=Total Current Assets/Total Current Liabilities
=19804/17828
=1.11083689

Mastercard's current ratio of this year was 0.98098892. Mastercard's current ratio of last year was 1.11083689. ==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.

Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue

Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.

Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.

Mastercard's number of shares in issue this year was 893. Mastercard's number of shares in issue last year was 914. ==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.

Efficiency

Question 8. Change in Gross Margin

Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.

Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.

Gross Margin (This Year: TTM)=Gross Profit/Revenue
=26339/33939
=0.77606883

Gross Margin (Last Year: TTM)=Gross Profit/Revenue
=22222/29069
=0.76445698

Mastercard's gross margin of this year was 0.77606883. Mastercard's gross margin of last year was 0.76445698. ==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.

Question 9. Change in asset turnover

Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.

Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower

Asset Turnover (This Year)=Revenue/Total Assets at the Beginning of This Year (Mar25)
=33939/48470
=0.70020631

Asset Turnover (Last Year)=Revenue/Total Assets at the Beginning of Last Year (Mar24)
=29069/42602
=0.68233886

Mastercard's asset turnover of this year was 0.70020631. Mastercard's asset turnover of last year was 0.68233886. ==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.

Evaluation

Piotroski F-Score= Que. 1+ Que. 2+ Que. 3+Que. 4+Que. 5+Que. 6+Que. 7+Que. 8+Que. 9
=1+1+1+1+1+0+1+1+1
=8

Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3

Mastercard has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Piotroski F-Score →
What does a Piotroski F-Score of 8 mean?
Mastercard (LIM:MA) has a Piotroski F-Score of 8 as of Jun. 24, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Mastercard and its competitors. This is 14% above median its historical median of 7.00. Over the past decade, Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 5.00 to 9.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Mastercard ranks #10 out of 532 companies in the Credit Services industry, placing it in the top 1.9%.
Is Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Mastercard's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 14% above median its 10-year median of 7.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 5.00 to a high of 9.00. The Credit Services industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Mastercard's value of 8 is 60% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Mastercard ranks #10 out of 532 companies in the Credit Services industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Mastercard has a GF Score™ of 91/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Mastercard's Piotroski F-Score compare to V and AXP?
According to the Credit Services industry distribution chart, Mastercard ranks #10 out of 532 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Mastercard in the top 2% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Mastercard's value of 8 is 60% above this benchmark. Historically, Mastercard's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 5.00 to 9.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 7.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Mastercard has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Credit Services company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Credit Services companies is 5.00, based on 532 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Mastercard's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 60% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Mastercard and its competitors. For the Credit Services industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Mastercard's current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 14% above median its own 10-year median of 7.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Mastercard stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Mastercard (LIM:MA) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $654.48, compared to a current price of $487.54 — trading 25.5% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 14% above median its 10-year median of 7.00 and 60% above the Credit Services industry median of 5.00. Mastercard's overall GF Score™ is 91/100. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Mastercard (LIM:MA), the current Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jun. 24, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Mastercard (LIM:MA) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Mastercard stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $487.54 is trading 25.5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $654.48. GuruFocus considers Mastercard to be Modestly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for LIM:MA:

  • Piotroski F-Score: 8 (14% above median its 10-year median of 7.00)
  • GF Value™: $654.48 vs. price of $487.54 (25.5% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 91/100
  • Industry Position: 60% above the Credit Services median (#10 of 532)

No single metric tells the full story. See the LIM:MA stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Mastercard Business Description

Address 2000 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY, USA, 10577
Mastercard is the second-largest payment processor in the world, having processed close to $11 trillion in volume during 2025. Mastercard operates in over 200 countries and processes transactions in over 150 currencies.
91GF Score

Get the complete analysis for LIM:MA

Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$487.54
Price
$654.48
GF Value