Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Jumps 3.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) traded up 3.2% during trading on Monday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $670.00 to $750.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Mastercard traded as high as $661.34 and last traded at $658.6790. 3,971,443 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 13% from the average session volume of 3,513,087 shares. The stock had previously closed at $638.01.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $668.00 to $731.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. President Capital upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $693.00 to $729.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $694.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 31,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,781,695.49. The trade was a 12.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 370 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.21, for a total value of $218,377.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,237 shares in the company, valued at $4,861,559.77. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 39,420 shares of company stock worth $22,882,963 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $670 to $750 and upgraded/maintained a “Buy” rating, implying additional upside from recent trading levels. UBS Mastercard rating
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald increased its target from $695 to $765 and kept an “Overweight” rating, signaling expectations for continued appreciation. Cantor Fitzgerald Mastercard rating
• Positive Sentiment: Additional analysts raised their Mastercard targets to $700, $726, $740, and $742, broadening the positive revision trend. Mastercard price target raised to $742 Mastercard price target raised to $726 Mastercard price target raised to $700 Mastercard price target raised to $740
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary from JPMorgan and Wells Fargo also projects strong appreciation for MA, contributing to a broadly favorable analyst outlook. JPMorgan Mastercard outlook Wells Fargo Mastercard outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst recommendations can influence short-term trading, but investors should remember that price targets are forecasts rather than guarantees. Zacks Mastercard analyst views

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlatl Advisers LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 2.8% during the third quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC now owns 586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% during the third quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,122 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the third quarter. Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC now owns 492 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% in the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 513 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Athena Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $577.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $586.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $536.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. Mastercard had a return on equity of 260.86% and a net margin of 46.73%. The business had revenue of $9.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.96 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.20%.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates electronic payments and provides technology that supports transactions conducted through credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payment products.

In addition to operating its payments network, Mastercard offers services in areas such as payment security, fraud prevention, authentication, cybersecurity, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital identity and open banking.