Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $630.00

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price objective hoisted by KeyCorp from $600.00 to $630.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

MA has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard 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. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $509.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.03, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $528.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $501.43. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 155 shares during the period. SilverOak Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $749,000. 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.