Wall Street Zen Upgrades Mastercard (NYSE:MA) to Buy

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

MA has been the subject of a number of other reports. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $685.00 to $655.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $707.00 to $631.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $668.00 to $671.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $668.78.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $538.62 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $554.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $564.33. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The stock has a market cap of $483.68 billion, a PE ratio of 32.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MA. LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Robbins Farley boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 50.0% in the third quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc boosted its stake in Mastercard by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Mastercard reported stronger‑than‑expected EPS and revenue, with growth in gross dollar volume, cross‑border spending and cybersecurity/value‑added services, supporting the case for durable revenue growth. Zacks Q4 Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Macquarie raised its price target to $675 and kept an “outperform” rating — another vote of confidence that supports upside expectations. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen nudged its target higher to $671 and maintains a “buy” — adds to the cluster of bullish analyst views following the print. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed its “outperform” rating with a $656 target — another supportive analyst anchor above the current price. TickerReport
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its target from $685 to $655 but kept an “overweight” rating — slightly less bullish upside than before, but still constructive overall. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Management outlined strategic moves into agentic commerce and stablecoins — promising long‑term optionality but uncertain near‑term revenue impact. PYMNTS
• Negative Sentiment: Mastercard will cut about 4% of full‑time employees after a business review — a near‑term cost action that can boost margins but may signal internal pressure or slower growth in some areas. Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and sector risk commentary (including discussion of potential card legislation and broader sector headwinds) adds uncertainty to valuation and investor risk appetite. BNN Bloomberg

Mastercard Company Profile

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.