Over the past five years, (NYSE: MA) stock has generated a total return of 77%. That's a respectable gain, but it lags behind the 113% total return of the S 500. Zoom out further, though, and you'll see that Mastercard has trounced the market. It's up a whopping 11,180% since its initial public offering in May 2006 (compared to 534% for the S 500).

So the past five years have underperformed, but the stock is still a long-term outperformer. It's no wonder some investors are wary while others might have their sights set on this stock. But all of them are asking where will this stock be over the next five years. Will its performance mimic the past five years, or the past 18? Let's see if we can find an answer.

When comparing Mastercard to other fintech stocks, you might get the impression that it's a relatively boring company that just hums along, with no meaningful changes to its operations from year to year. That consistency, however, is one of its positive traits.

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Source Fool.com