Analysts Set Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Target Price at $610.00

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-two brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-four have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $610.00.

Several analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Augustine Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $946,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.8%

Mastercard stock opened at $590.03 on Wednesday. Mastercard has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $591.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $537.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.48, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $547.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $541.73.

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

About Mastercard

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.