Mastercard (MA) Raised to Buy at Mizuho

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) was upgraded by Mizuho from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, The Fly reports.

MA has been the subject of several other research reports. Instinet reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $163.00 target price (up previously from $153.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Saturday, September 9th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Mastercard from a “top pick” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $174.00 target price (up previously from $157.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $161.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, October 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $159.92.

Mastercard (NYSE MA) opened at $153.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The company has a market capitalization of $162,840.00, a PE ratio of 35.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.21. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $104.01 and a 1 year high of $154.65.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 78.38% and a net margin of 38.70%. The company had revenue of $3.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Monday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

In other Mastercard news, insider Michael Fraccaro sold 5,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.59, for a total value of $856,022.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MA. Proficio Capital Partners purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $102,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $106,000. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 170.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 867 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Beacon Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $100,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.57% of the company’s stock.

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Mastercard Company Profile

MasterCard Incorporated is a technology company that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses across the world, enabling them to use electronic forms of payment. The Company operates through Payment Solutions segment. The Company allows user to make payments by creating a range of payment solutions and services using its brands, which include MasterCard, Maestro and Cirrus.

The Fly

Analyst Recommendations for Mastercard (NYSE:MA)