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 thirty-one brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $606.25.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total transaction of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,796 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 750 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 404,236 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $199,613,000 after buying an additional 101,347 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 2,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,568,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $801,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.6%

Mastercard stock opened at $572.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $522.31 billion, a PE ratio of 41.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $533.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $534.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The business’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal 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.