Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price target increased by Morgan Stanley from $544.00 to $564.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

MA has been the subject of several other reports. BNP Paribas downgraded Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $549.16.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $521.89 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $479.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $504.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $471.18. Mastercard has a one year low of $395.55 and a one year high of $534.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total transaction of $50,952,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. This trade represents a 0.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 208,370 shares of company stock worth $97,749,218. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% in 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. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.