Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $496.27.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 142,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.14, for a total transaction of $62,783,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,377,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,612,262,959.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 142,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.14, for a total transaction of $62,783,880.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,377,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,612,262,959.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 725,088 shares of company stock valued at $329,657,858. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $1,267,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 6.0% during the first quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 6,985 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,364,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Roof Eidam Maycock Peralta LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 7.8% in the first quarter. Roof Eidam Maycock Peralta LLC now owns 4,256 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,205 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,174 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,641,000 after buying an additional 2,860 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $449.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $419.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $469.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $438.74. Mastercard has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard will post 14.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added 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; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.