Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Seaport Res Ptn

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) was downgraded by equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Mastercard’s Q1 2025 earnings at $3.73 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $4.05 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.27 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.36 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.41 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.72 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.96 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.09 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $19.09 EPS.

MA has been the subject of several other reports. Susquehanna raised their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $566.63.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $522.41 on Tuesday. Mastercard has a one year low of $425.48 and a one year high of $537.70. The company has a market cap of $479.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.52, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $524.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $493.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 36,063 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $18,990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,045 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,880,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 81.2% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,636 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,441,000 after buying an additional 2,077 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

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.