Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Upgraded at DZ Bank

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) was upgraded by equities researchers at DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Finviz reports. The firm presently has a $620.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock. DZ Bank’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.84% from the company’s current price.

MA has been the subject of several other research reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 price objective (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $599.42.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $564.48 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $528.28 and a 200 day moving average of $501.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.10 billion, a PE ratio of 40.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Mastercard

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.