BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $550.00 to $565.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target points to a potential upside of 8.26% from the company’s previous close.

MA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America lifted their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $549.16.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock opened at $521.89 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $503.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $470.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company has a market capitalization of $479.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a fifty-two week low of $395.55 and a fifty-two week high of $534.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.39 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard will post 14.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total value of $42,192,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,649,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,965,195,590.40. This trade represents a 0.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 23.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,370 shares of company stock worth $97,749,218 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.