UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price objective hoisted by UBS Group from $600.00 to $660.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on MA. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective 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. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $595.64.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE MA opened at $555.63 on Friday. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $509.97 billion, a PE ratio of 42.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $528.28 and a 200 day moving average of $501.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS 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%. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan 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 plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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 $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 11,968 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,302,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Semus Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. SilverOak Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $749,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

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.