Mastercard (LIM:MA) Return-on-Tangible-Equity: Negative Tangible Equity% (As of Mar. 2026)


LIM:MA Mastercard Inc LIM:MA
91 GF Score
Price $533.81
GF Value $613.20
Valuation Modestly Undervalued
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What is Mastercard Return-on-Tangible-Equity?

Mastercard LIM:MA +9.49% 91 Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus rates LIM:MA with a GF Score™ of 91/100 and a GF Value™ of $613.20 (Modestly Undervalued). Among 525 Credit Services companies, Mastercard ranks better than 99.81% on this metric.

Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated as Net Income divided by its average total shareholder tangible equity. Total shareholder tangible equity equals to Total Stockholders Equity minus Intangible Assets. Mastercard's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $15,528 Mil. Mastercard's average shareholder tangible equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $-7,839 Mil. Therefore, Mastercard's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was Negative Tangible Equity%.

The historical rank and industry rank for Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity or its related term are showing as below:

LIM:MA' s Return-on-Tangible-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 124.66   Med: 416.57   Max: 9640.6
Current: Negative Tangible Equity

During the past 13 years, Mastercard's highest Return-on-Tangible-Equity was 9,640.60%. The lowest was 124.66%. And the median was 416.57%.

LIM:MA's Return-on-Tangible-Equity is ranked better than
99.81% of 525 companies
in the Credit Services industry
Industry Median: 7.01 vs LIM:MA: Negative Tangible Equity

Mastercard  (LIM:MA) Return-on-Tangible-Equity Explanation

Return-on-Tangible-Equity measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's tangible equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' tangible equity (shareholders equity minus intangibles). Return-on-Tangible-Equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. Return-on-Tangible-Equitys between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.


Be Aware

Net Income is used.

Because a company can increase its Return-on-Tangible-Equity by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high Return-on-Tangible-Equity companies. Like Return-on-Tangible-Asset, Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.

Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their Return-on-Tangible-Equitys can be extremely high.


Mastercard Return-on-Tangible-Equity Related Terms


Mastercard Return-on-Tangible-Equity Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity 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 Return-on-Tangible-Equity Chart

Mastercard Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Return-on-Tangible-Equity
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity

Mastercard Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Return-on-Tangible-Equity 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 Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity

LIM:MA vs V, AXP, COF: Return-on-Tangible-Equity Comparison

For the Credit Services subindustry, Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Return-on-Tangible-Equity 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 Return-on-Tangible-Equity vs Credit Services Industry

For the Credit Services industry and Financial Services sector, Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity falls into.


LIM:MA
91GF Score
Mastercard Inc LIM:MA
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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Mastercard Return-on-Tangible-Equity Calculation

Mastercard's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as

Return-on-Tangible-Equity=Net Income/( (Total Tangible Equity+Total Tangible Equity)/ count )
(A: Dec. 2025 )  (A: Dec. 2024 )(A: Dec. 2025 )
=Net Income/( (Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets+Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets )/ count )
(A: Dec. 2025 )  (A: Dec. 2024 )(A: Dec. 2025 )
=14968/( (-8161+-7377 )/ 2 )
=14968/-7769
=Negative Tangible Equity %

Mastercard's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as

Return-on-Tangible-Equity=Net Income/( (Total Tangible Equity+Total Tangible Equity)/ count )
(Q: Mar. 2026 )  (Q: Dec. 2025 )(Q: Mar. 2026 )
=Net Income/( (Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets+Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets)/ count )
(Q: Mar. 2026 )  (Q: Dec. 2025 )(Q: Mar. 2026 )
=15528/( (-7377+-8301)/ 2 )
=15528/-7839
=Negative Tangible Equity %

* 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.

In the calculation of annual Return-on-Tangible-Equity, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder tangible equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data, the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) net income data. Return-on-Tangible-Equity is displayed in the 10-year financial page.

What does a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of Negative Tangible Equity% mean?
Mastercard (LIM:MA) has a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of Negative Tangible Equity% as of Mar. 2026. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Mastercard and its competitors. Over the past decade, Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity has ranged from 124.66 to 9,640.60. According to the industry distribution chart, Mastercard ranks #1 out of 525 companies in the Credit Services industry, placing it in the top 0.2%.
Is Mastercard's Return-on-Tangible-Equity too high?
Mastercard's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity%. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 124.66 to a high of 9,640.60. Based on the distribution chart, Mastercard ranks #1 out of 525 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 Return-on-Tangible-Equity compare to V and AXP?
According to the Credit Services industry distribution chart, Mastercard ranks #1 out of 525 companies for Return-on-Tangible-Equity. This places Mastercard in the top 0% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 7.01. Historically, Mastercard's own Return-on-Tangible-Equity has ranged from 124.66 to 9,640.60 over the past decade. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Return-on-Tangible-Equity for a Credit Services company?
The median Return-on-Tangible-Equity among Credit Services companies is 7.01, based on 525 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Return-on-Tangible-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Return-on-Tangible-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Return-on-Tangible-Equity mean?
A high Return-on-Tangible-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Mastercard and its competitors. For the Credit Services industry, the median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 7.01 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Mastercard's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity%. 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 $613.20, compared to a current price of $533.81 — trading 12.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity%. 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 Return-on-Tangible-Equity calculated?
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Mastercard (LIM:MA), the current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity% as of Mar. 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 $533.81 is trading 12.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $613.20. GuruFocus considers Mastercard to be Modestly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for LIM:MA:

  • Return-on-Tangible-Equity: Negative Tangible Equity%
  • GF Value™: $613.20 vs. price of $533.81 (12.9% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 91/100

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

Return-on-Tangible-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$533.81
Price
$613.20
GF Value