Mastercard IncorporatedMA

Where MA's Payout Ratio sits inside its own 10-year distribution, with the yearly high, low and average.

$579.21-6.50 (-1.11%)Previous close
NYSEFinancial Services

MA Payout Ratio: current value, 10-year range and year-by-year history

Payout Ratio History

Historically priceyAbove avgAround avgBelow avgHistorically cheap
MA Payout Ratio historyMA Payout Ratio from Sep 2023 to Jun 2026: low 15.79%, high 20.21%, latest 17.5%.15.43%16.72%18%19.28%20.57%Sep 23Mar 24Sep 24Jun 25Dec 25Jun 26med 17.5%

MA Payout Ratio by year

Yearly range of MA’s payout ratio from 2016 to 2026. Over the full period it ranged from 15.8% to 26.5%, averaging 19.3%.

MA Payout Ratio — yearly low, average, high and year-end values
YearLowAverageHighYear-end
202615.9%16.7%17.5%17.5%
202515.8%16.2%17.3%16.0%
202417.9%19.0%20.2%17.9%
202318.4%19.0%20.1%18.4%
202218.0%19.2%20.1%18.7%
202120.1%23.1%26.5%20.1%
202017.7%20.6%24.6%24.6%
201917.9%19.5%21.5%17.9%
201816.5%17.6%18.2%18.2%
201718.2%20.7%22.4%18.2%
201619.3%19.7%20.2%20.2%

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What fraction of free cash flow is paid out as dividends. More reliable than the earnings-based payout ratio because cash is harder to manipulate through accounting choices. Low ratio = room to grow the dividend and absorb an earnings dip. High ratio = dividend is consuming most of the cash generated.

FormulaTTM Dividends Per Share / (TTM FCF ÷ Shares) × 100%
Full guide
How to read this chart

A steadily rising FCF payout ratio warrants scrutiny only if FCF itself is flat or falling — that means the company is paying out a larger slice of shrinking cash. A high but stable ratio in a capital-light business (e.g. consumer staples) can be perfectly sustainable.

Key caveats
  • FCF can be lumpy: large one-off capex or working-capital swings distort a single year. Look at the multi-year trend rather than any single data point.
  • Utilities and REITs naturally sustain 60–90% FCF payout ratios; industrials and tech companies typically run 20–50%. Always compare to sector context.
Pro — up to 30-year history

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