Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Given New $660.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price objective boosted by analysts at UBS Group from $600.00 to $660.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 18.06% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. KeyCorp upped their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen increased their price target on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.80.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.2 %

MA traded down $6.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $559.05. 2,395,921 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,751,523. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. Mastercard has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $513.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.29, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $527.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $500.25.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its stake in Mastercard by 120.0% in the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.