Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Mastercard has a consensus analyst rating of “Buy” from 29 brokerage firms, with an average 12-month price target of $656.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting earnings of $4.60 per share on revenue of $8.40 billion, both above estimates and up sharply from a year earlier.
• Recent headlines were mixed but leaned positive, including a new merchant trust/fraud-prevention initiative and an expanded partnership with JD.com, though some sentiment pressure came from a lower price target and Berkshire Hathaway exiting its stake.

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Buy" by the twenty-nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and six have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $656.00.

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $730.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Evercore reiterated a "negative" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $609.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $499.32 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $441.19 billion, a PE ratio of 28.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $502.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $530.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. Mastercard has a twelve month low of $480.50 and a twelve month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.88% and a return on equity of 212.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.73 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 19.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 250.0% during the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard highlighted a new Merchant Trust Services initiative designed to help banks and payment companies identify legitimate merchants and reduce scam activity, which could strengthen its fraud-prevention value proposition and deepen ties with issuers and merchants. Mastercard Intros Strategy to Ferret Out Scam Merchants
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and JD.com expanded their partnership to improve cross-border payments infrastructure and payment experiences for travelers in China, a sign of continued international growth opportunities and stronger network usage. Mastercard, JD.com team up to expand payments infrastructure
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard was recognized by the Organization of American States and The Trust for the Americas with the 2025 Corporate Citizen of the Americas Award, reinforcing its brand and social-impact profile. The Trust for the Americas and the Organization of American States Present the 2025 Corporate Citizen of the Americas Award to Mastercard
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard presented at J.P. Morgan’s technology, media and communications conference, which usually reinforces management’s strategic messaging but did not include a major new financial catalyst in the provided details. Mastercard Incorporated (MA) Presents at J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: BDO and Mastercard marked 20 years of remittance and OFW-serving partnership in the Philippines, underscoring steady international business relationships. BDO, Mastercard mark 20 years of remittance partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Mastercard as a strong payments network versus Visa and noted ongoing cross-border and issuer-related opportunities, but these were more commentary than fresh catalysts. Visa vs Mastercard. The Numbers Just Told Us Which Network Is Pulling Away
• Negative Sentiment: Truist reportedly lowered its price target on Mastercard, which can weigh on sentiment by signaling more limited upside from current levels. Truist Lowers PT on Mastercard Incorporated (MA) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway said it is exiting its Mastercard position as part of a broader portfolio overhaul, a headline that may pressure the stock despite not changing Mastercard’s underlying operations. Berkshire Hathaway Overhauls Portfolio Under Greg Abel As Valuation Signals Undervaluation

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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