Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Lowered to Hold Rating by Seaport Res Ptn

Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Mastercard’s Q1 2025 earnings at $3.73 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $4.05 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.27 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.36 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.41 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.72 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.96 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.09 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $19.09 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on MA. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $566.63.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MA opened at $508.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $466.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $425.48 and a 1 year high of $537.70. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $524.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $493.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Mastercard will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Mastercard

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.