UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at UBS Group from $660.00 to $640.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 14.45% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on MA. Barclays upped their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna increased their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.18.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $559.18 on Friday. Mastercard has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $509.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $532.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $531.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently 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.