Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $661.24.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Truist Financial set a $609.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Mastercard from $685.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.8%

MA stock opened at $527.57 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $555.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $565.85. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $473.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.53 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.28% and a return on equity of 202.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.89 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.25%.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Partnership to modernize travel loyalty — Mastercard teamed with Agoda to offer more flexible travel rewards, supporting merchant/consumer engagement and cross-border volume growth. Agoda and Mastercard modernise loyalty programmes
• Positive Sentiment: Expanding emerging-market lending tools — Mastercard and iscore will study a new credit-scoring model to power digital lending in Egypt, which could boost network transaction growth and product adoption in MENA. Mastercard and iscore join forces
• Positive Sentiment: Positioning on AI and cybersecurity — CEO commentary and company initiatives highlight leadership in setting AI commerce rules and defensive investments against AI-driven fraud, supporting franchise durability and regulatory positioning. Exclusive: Mastercard moves to set the rules for AI-driven commerce
• Neutral Sentiment: Exploring crypto infrastructure — after acquisition talks, Mastercard is weighing an investment in crypto firm ZeroHash; strategic upside exists but outcome and returns are uncertain. Mastercard weighs investment in ZeroHash
• Neutral Sentiment: Community/brand initiatives — Mastercard showcased its Indigenous Playmaker Marketplace at Scotiabank Arena, reinforcing ESG/community engagement that supports brand and corporate relationships but has limited immediate revenue impact. Inside Mastercard’s Indigenous Playmaker Marketplace
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/policy watch — industry debate over a proposed credit-card interest-rate cap could shift payments economics; networks are less exposed to interest income than banks, so impact on Mastercard is mixed. Jamie Dimon on credit card rate cap
• Negative Sentiment: Operational disruption in Brazil — Brazil’s central bank ordered liquidation of a Banco Master unit and Mastercard temporarily suspended cards, creating near-term payment flow and reputation risk in a key market. Brazil central bank liquidates Banco Master’s Will
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/peer comparison favors Visa — Recent analysis highlights Visa’s scale, margins and lower valuation as advantages, which can pressure sentiment and relative valuation for MA. Visa vs. Mastercard analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Notable investor trimming — reports that value investor Guy Spier sold MA in Q4 can weigh on investor confidence even if motives are fund-specific. 4 Stocks Guy Spier Was Selling

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Robbins Farley lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.