Sifting through countless of stocks in the Financial Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc.

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers products and services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; consumer bill payment services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions. It also provides solutions that enable businesses or governments to make payments to businesses, including Virtual Card Number, which is generated dynamically from an existing account and leverages the credit limit of the funding account; and a platform to optimize supplier payment enablement campaigns for financial institutions. In addition, the company offers Mastercard Move, which partners with digital messaging and payment platforms to enable consumers to send money directly within applications to other consumers; and partners with central banks, fintechs, and financial institutions, as well as enables various cross-border payment flows. Further, it provides security solutions; marketing, personalization, and issuer and merchant loyalty services; business and operational intelligence, advanced analytics and AI, consulting and agentic solutions, and payments and portfolio optimization; digital and authentication; processing and gateway solutions; and other solutions. The company offers payment solutions and services under the MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus names. Mastercard Incorporated was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Block, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, builds ecosystems focused on commerce and financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Square and Cash App. The Square segment offers managed payment services; software solutions; hardware products, such as registers, terminals, stands, and readers for contactless and chips; banking services consisting of lending, instant transfer, and checking and savings accounts; and full-service setup and support services. This segment also provides loyalty, marketing, team management, and payroll services; and gift cards. It also offers Square Handheld, a portable point-of sale device for transaction purposes. The Cash App segment offers financial tools, including peer-to-peer payments, bitcoin, and stock investment brokerage; Cash App Card, a debit card; Cash App Pay, mobile-friendly way for cash app customers to pay at merchants across online and in-person channels; direct deposit, stock brokerage, and tax preparation services; and Afterpay, a buy now, pay later platform. In addition, the company operates TIDAL, a platform for musicians and fans; TBD, an open developer platform focused on making the decentralized financial world accessible; Bitkey, a self-custody bitcoin wallet; and proto. The company was formerly known as Square, Inc. and changed its name to Block, Inc. in December 2021. Block, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Oakland, California.

Block, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, builds ecosystems focused on commerce and financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Square and Cash App. The Square segment offers managed payment services; software solutions; hardware products, such as registers, terminals, stands, and readers for contactless and chips; banking services consisting of lending, instant transfer, and checking and savings accounts; and full-service setup and support services. This segment also provides loyalty, marketing, team management, and payroll services; and gift cards. It also offers Square Handheld, a portable point-of sale device for transaction purposes. The Cash App segment offers financial tools, including peer-to-peer payments, bitcoin, and stock investment brokerage; Cash App Card, a debit card; Cash App Pay, mobile-friendly way for cash app customers to pay at merchants across online and in-person channels; direct deposit, stock brokerage, and tax preparation services; and Afterpay, a buy now, pay later platform. In addition, the company operates TIDAL, a platform for musicians and fans; TBD, an open developer platform focused on making the decentralized financial world accessible; Bitkey, a self-custody bitcoin wallet; and proto. The company was formerly known as Square, Inc. and changed its name to Block, Inc. in December 2021. Block, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Oakland, California.

Latest Financial Services and Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc. Stock News

As of September 4, 2026, Mastercard Incorporated had a $507.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Financial Services median of $2.4 million. Mastercard Incorporated’s stock is up 1.5% in 2026, down 2.7% in the previous five trading days and down 2.76% in the past year.

Currently, Mastercard Incorporated’s price-earnings ratio is 31.9. Mastercard Incorporated’s trailing 12-month revenue is $35.1 billion with a 46.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 14.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $19.926 per share for the current fiscal year. Mastercard Incorporated currently has a 0.6% dividend yield.

As of September 4, 2026, Block, Inc. had a $50.0 billion market cap, putting it in the 93rd percentile of all stocks. Block, Inc.’s stock is up 27.1% in 2026, down 1% in the previous five trading days and up 9.25% in the past year.

Currently, Block, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 140.7. Block, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $25.0 billion with a 1.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 9.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.046 per share for the current fiscal year. Block, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Mastercard Incorporated	MA	A
Block, Inc.	XYZ	C
Block, Inc.	XYZ	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Mastercard Incorporated has a Growth Score of 89, which is Very Strong. Block, Inc. has a Growth Score of 59, which is Average. Block, Inc. has a Growth Score of 59, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: Mastercard Incorporated

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Mastercard Incorporated has a more attractive growth grade than Block, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Mastercard Incorporated could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Mastercard Incorporated	MA	A
Block, Inc.	XYZ	B
Block, Inc.	XYZ	B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Mastercard Incorporated has a Quality Score of 93, which is Very Strong. Block, Inc. has a Quality Score of 74, which is Strong. Block, Inc. has a Quality Score of 74, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Mastercard Incorporated

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Mastercard Incorporated has a better overall quality grade than Block, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Mastercard Incorporated could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Mastercard Incorporated	MA	C
Block, Inc.	XYZ	C
Block, Inc.	XYZ	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Mastercard Incorporated has a Momentum Score of 52, which is Average. Block, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 60, which is Average. Block, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 60, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Growth and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Mastercard Incorporated stock has a Growth Score of 89, Momentum Score of 52 and Quality Score of 93.

Block, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 59, Momentum Score of 60 and Quality Score of 74.

Block, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 59, Momentum Score of 60 and Quality Score of 74.

Comparing Mastercard Incorporated, Block, Inc., Block and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.