Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Seaport Res Ptn

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) was downgraded by equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Mastercard’s Q1 2025 earnings at $3.73 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $4.05 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.27 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.36 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.41 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.72 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.96 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.09 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $19.09 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $575.00 target price (up from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho upped their price target on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $508.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $466.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.46, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $524.14 and its 200 day moving average is $493.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Mastercard has a one year low of $425.48 and a one year high of $537.70.

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

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MA. Goldstein Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% in the third quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $749,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 2,190 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.5% in the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,398 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Traveka Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,478 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is 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.