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

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price target hoisted by investment analysts at Barclays from $595.00 to $650.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.24% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.08.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $559.21 on Monday. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $529.03 and its 200-day moving average is $502.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $513.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.26, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 16.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.