Mastercard FY2026 EPS Forecast Raised by Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Mastercard to $19.66 (from $19.63), above the consensus of $19.58, and also estimates FY2027 EPS at $22.85.
• Mastercard beat Q1 expectations, reporting EPS of $4.60 versus $4.41 estimated and revenue of $8.40 billion versus $8.26 billion, with revenue up 15.8% year‑over‑year and strong margins.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus "Buy" rating and a $657.07 consensus price target, although several firms have trimmed targets or issued mixed views after Q1.

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) - Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Mastercard in a research note issued on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the credit services provider will post earnings per share of $19.66 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $19.63. The consensus estimate for Mastercard's current full-year earnings is $19.58 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Mastercard's FY2027 earnings at $22.85 EPS.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The business had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.73 earnings per share. Mastercard's revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on Mastercard from $735.00 to $675.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore restated a "negative" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $657.07.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA opened at $500.98 on Friday. Mastercard has a 52-week low of $480.50 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $446.78 billion, a PE ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $506.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $534.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zullo Investment Group Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 1.7% during the third quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,091 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 20.0% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 6.1% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 328 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 1.7% during the third quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,167 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $664,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Matisse Capital raised its position in Mastercard by 1.4% during the third quarter. Matisse Capital now owns 1,348 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $767,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 20.14%.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and product innovation — Mastercard is deepening crypto and tokenization capabilities (stablecoin support via BVNK and a Yellow Card partnership to enable stablecoin payments across EEMEA), which investors see as opening new rails and fee pools. Here’s Why Mastercard Is Betting Big on BVNK — and Stablecoin Mastercard (MA) Stock Gains as Yellow Card Partnership Brings Stablecoin Payments to EEMEA
• Positive Sentiment: Tokenization milestone — Mastercard joined a pilot with JPMorgan, Ripple and Ondo for a near‑real‑time cross‑border tokenized U.S. Treasury redemption, signaling capability in institutional tokenized-asset settlement. Ripple, JPMorgan & Mastercard Pull Off First Tokenized Treasury Deal Ondo, JPMorgan, Mastercard & Ripple complete cross-border Treasury redemption
• Positive Sentiment: SME and payments product initiatives — a regional SME resilience program and push to expand virtual cards broaden addressable market and product stickiness for commercial clients. Mastercard launches regional SME resilience program Mastercard Pushes Virtual Cards Beyond Payables
• Positive Sentiment: Geographic expansion — Mastercard is preparing to resume services in Syria after a 15‑year hiatus, a move that could modestly expand network volumes where permitted. Mastercard prepares to launch services in Syria after 15 years
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views mixed but supportive — several shops (Susquehanna, Raymond James) maintained positive/outperform stances while trimming price targets after Q1; this keeps institutional support but reduces upside projections. Here’s Why Macquarie Lowered PT on MasterCard (MA) Susquehanna Maintains Positive Rating on Mastercard (MA)
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend stability and strong Q1 fundamentals — dividend coverage and high margins are reiterated by commentators, supporting long‑term investor confidence rather than near‑term re‑rating. Here’s Why Mastercard’s Dividend Payout Looks Bulletproof
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk — UK regulators opened an investigation into possible anti‑competitive conduct with PayPal and Visa tied to PayPal wallet funding/usage, creating potential fines, restrictions or higher compliance costs. PayPal, Visa and Mastercard Face UK Competition Investigation UK probes Mastercard, Visa, PayPal over suspected anti-competitive conduct
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price‑target cuts — Macquarie and others trimmed targets after April softness (notably cross‑border travel deceleration), which can limit near‑term upside and investor sentiment. Here’s Why Macquarie Lowered PT on MasterCard (MA)

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.

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