Which is better, HLNE or MA?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Mastercard Incorporated (MA) currently grades higher than HLNE — 84/100 (A grade) vs 76/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — HLNE wins on none; MA wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy HLNE or MA?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both HLNE and MA are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is HLNE better than MA for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MA currently grades higher — 84/100 vs 76/100, a 8-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between HLNE and MA on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). HLNE currently scores 76/100 (C grade); MA scores 84/100 (A grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, HLNE or MA?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. HLNE and MA are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, HLNE or MA?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are HLNE and MA both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both Hamilton Lane Incorporated (HLNE) and Mastercard Incorporated (MA) operate in the Financial Services sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this HLNE vs MA comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Hamilton Lane

Mastercard

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

HLNE

Hamilton Lane

Market cap

$5.04B

Sector

Financials

Mastercard

Market cap

$440.75B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

Mastercard MA

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	HLNE	MA	Winner
Warren Buffett	76C	84A	MA
Benjamin Graham	65B	84A	MA
Philip Fisher	77C	79B	MA
Peter Lynch	53C	72B	MA
Joel Greenblatt	43D	84A	MA
Charlie Munger	73B	87A	MA
Terry Smith	76B	91A	MA

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	HLNE	MA
Market cap	$5.04B	$440.75B
P/E (TTM)	14.1x	28.3x
EV/EBIT	15.7x	23.1x
ROIC (TTM)	14.52%	51.85%
Gross margin	69.23%	82.96%
Net margin	30.59%	45.88%
Revenue CAGR 5y	20.19%	14.79%
EPS CAGR 5y	17.91%	17.14%
Debt / Equity	0.4x	2.8x
Dividend yield	2.44%	0.66%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

HLNE leads on

Debt / Equity0.4xvs 2.8x+85%
Dividend yield2.44%vs 0.66%+73%
P/E (TTM)14.1xvs 28.3x+50%
EV/EBIT15.7xvs 23.1x+32%

MA leads on

Market cap$440.75Bvs $5.04B+99%
ROIC (TTM)51.85%vs 14.52%+72%
Net margin45.88%vs 30.59%+33%
Gross margin82.96%vs 69.23%+17%

More like HLNE

HLNE vs ING.WA HLNE vs PKO.WA HLNE vs SLDE HLNE vs PEO.WA HLNE vs ICICIBANK.NS HLNE vs ALR.WA

More like MA

MA vs ING.WA MA vs PKO.WA MA vs SLDE MA vs PEO.WA MA vs ICICIBANK.NS MA vs ALR.WA

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for HLNE Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for MA

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

Hamilton Lane

Mastercard

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

HLNE

Hamilton Lane

Market cap

$5.04B

Sector

Financials

Mastercard

Market cap

$440.75B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

Mastercard MA

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	HLNE	MA	Winner
Warren Buffett	76C	84A	MA
Benjamin Graham	65B	84A	MA
Philip Fisher	77C	79B	MA
Peter Lynch	53C	72B	MA
Joel Greenblatt	43D	84A	MA
Charlie Munger	73B	87A	MA
Terry Smith	76B	91A	MA

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	HLNE	MA
Market cap	$5.04B	$440.75B
P/E (TTM)	14.1x	28.3x
EV/EBIT	15.7x	23.1x
ROIC (TTM)	14.52%	51.85%
Gross margin	69.23%	82.96%
Net margin	30.59%	45.88%
Revenue CAGR 5y	20.19%	14.79%
EPS CAGR 5y	17.91%	17.14%
Debt / Equity	0.4x	2.8x
Dividend yield	2.44%	0.66%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

HLNE leads on

Debt / Equity0.4xvs 2.8x+85%
Dividend yield2.44%vs 0.66%+73%
P/E (TTM)14.1xvs 28.3x+50%
EV/EBIT15.7xvs 23.1x+32%

MA leads on

Market cap$440.75Bvs $5.04B+99%
ROIC (TTM)51.85%vs 14.52%+72%
Net margin45.88%vs 30.59%+33%
Gross margin82.96%vs 69.23%+17%

More like HLNE

HLNE vs ING.WA HLNE vs PKO.WA HLNE vs SLDE HLNE vs PEO.WA HLNE vs ICICIBANK.NS HLNE vs ALR.WA

More like MA

MA vs ING.WA MA vs PKO.WA MA vs SLDE MA vs PEO.WA MA vs ICICIBANK.NS MA vs ALR.WA

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for HLNE Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for MA

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.