Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Upgraded to “Buy” at DZ Bank

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) was upgraded by analysts at DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $620.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock. DZ Bank’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 9.53% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on MA. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $566.05 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $529.65 and a 200-day moving average of $503.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market cap of $519.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.