Robert W. Baird Raises Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target to $545.00

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $525.00 to $545.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price points to a potential upside of 19.68% from the stock’s current price.

MA has been the topic of several other research reports. KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $455.39 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $471.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $433.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard has a 1-year low of $357.85 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The company has a market cap of $424.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.65 EPS. Analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total transaction of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total transaction of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,728 shares of company stock valued at $68,483,403. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.