Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-one have assigned a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $549.16.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Susquehanna upped their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $572.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $575.00 price objective (up previously from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $512.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $470.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $404.32 and a 12 month high of $534.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $505.90 and its 200-day moving average is $472.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.39 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

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.