Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Shares Up 0.2% – Here’s Why

Mastercard Incorporated ( NYSE:MA – Get Free Report ) shot up 0.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $529.

19 and last traded at $526.57. 1,942,487 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 2,467,849 shares.



The stock had previously closed at $525.55. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MA shares.

Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.

00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.

00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $572.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, November 14th.

BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th.

Finally, Macquarie upped their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $562.

76. View Our Latest Research Report on MA Mastercard Trading Down 0.8 % Mastercard ( NYSE:MA – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st.

The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.

16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.

27%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.

27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 EPS.

The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.

47 EPS for the current year. Mastercard Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.

76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $3.

04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.

66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.

5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA.

Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at $432,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 7.7% in the second quarter.

Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 617 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth $263,000.

Mattern Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $461,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter.

Finally, FineMark National Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 56,611 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $24,975,000 after acquiring an additional 1,126 shares during the period.

Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock. Mastercard Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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