Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $685.00 at Tigress Financial

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Free Report) had its target price lifted by Tigress Financial from $550.00 to $685.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Tigress Financial currently has a strong-buy rating on the credit services provider's stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on MA. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna increased 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. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.11.

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Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $1.54 during trading on Thursday, reaching $564.77. 1,927,376 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,766,804. The company has a market capitalization of $518.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $535.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $509.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Mastercard has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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 expect that Mastercard will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $25,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 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.