Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $739.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $656.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $707.00 to $631.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $667.04.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock opened at $556.11 on Friday. Mastercard has a twelve month low of $465.59 and a twelve month high of $601.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $499.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s fifty day moving average is $554.95 and its 200-day moving average is $564.50.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.52. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.The business had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MA. Highland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 798.7% during the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 8,690 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,961,000 after acquiring an additional 7,723 shares during the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 651 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. WT Wealth Management grew its position in Mastercard by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. WT Wealth Management now owns 5,613 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,204,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allegheny Financial Group increased its stake in Mastercard by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Allegheny Financial Group now owns 643 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullish case highlights faster-growing, recurring services revenue (now ~22% YoY) and a strong network/data flywheel that supports premium valuation and mid-teens EPS growth—boosting investor confidence in MA’s earnings quality. Why Mastercard Deserves A Premium After Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an Outperform rating on MA, reinforcing buy-side momentum after the quarter and supporting upside. Mastercard’s (MA) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Two separate reports show analysts raising price targets (to $675 and $671), signaling upward revisions to fair value estimates following Q4 results and strengthening the buy-case. Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $675.00 Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $671.00
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: revenue ~ $8.8B, EPS ahead of estimates and cross-border volume growth (~14%)—evidence that both payments volume and higher-margin services are supporting top-line and margin strength. Mastercard Q4 Revenue Reaches $8.8B as Cross-Border Volume Grows 14%
• Positive Sentiment: Investor-focused commentary (Fool) highlights Mastercard’s capacity to sustainably grow and support an expanding dividend, which appeals to income and total-return investors. 2 No-Brainer Dividend Stocks to Buy Hand Over Fist
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate PR/CSR: Mastercard launched the “Tap for Change” campaign supporting Sri Lanka’s largest community-driven cancer care initiative and pledged ~$750k to a hospital—positive for brand/ESG but limited immediate earnings impact. Mastercard launches ‘Tap for Change’ campaign to power Sri Lanka’s largest community-driven cancer care initiative MasterCard pledges US $ 750,000 for Karapitiya Trail Cancer Hospital via ‘Tap for Change’ campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing promotion: Mastercard is running a sweepstakes tied to Noah Kahan concert tickets—helps engagement/brand but not material to fundamentals. Mastercard launching a sweepstakes and exclusive tickets to Noah Kahan’s upcoming concert series
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $655, a reminder that some sell-side desks remain cautious and could cap near-term upside if broader macro or fee-cap concerns re-emerge. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target to $655.00

About Mastercard

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.