Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at KeyCorp

Key Points

• Mastercard has been upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by KeyCorp, following similar upgrades and buy ratings from Goldman Sachs, Wall Street Zen, and Citigroup.
• As of the latest report, Mastercard's stock has a consensus target price of $638.00 and a current share price around $570.57.
• The company reported a 16.8% year-over-year revenue increase, achieving $8.13 billion for the most recent quarter, which exceeded analyst expectations.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at KeyCorp to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $735.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $638.00.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $570.57 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $579.88 and a 200-day moving average of $564.14. The company has a market capitalization of $515.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.97.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total value of $10,202,433.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,294. The trade was a 35.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Robbins Farley raised its holdings in Mastercard by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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