Zacks Research Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) – Zacks Research increased their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Mastercard in a report released on Thursday, November 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the credit services provider will post earnings per share of $19.99 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $19.72. The consensus estimate for Mastercard’s current full-year earnings is $20.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Mastercard’s Q4 2026 earnings at $5.04 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.06 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $5.73 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.04 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $6.15 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $22.98 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $6.11 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $6.43 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $26.45 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also commented on MA. Clear Str upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $674.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Finally, President Capital increased their target price on Mastercard from $693.00 to $729.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $713.21.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $652.48 on Friday. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $464.52 and a 1 year high of $681.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $598.61 and a 200-day moving average of $541.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $568.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.78.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $9.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.66 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.73% and a return on equity of 260.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.38 earnings per share.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.20%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 370 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.21, for a total value of $218,377.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,237 shares in the company, valued at $4,861,559.77. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ling Hai sold 4,317 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.00, for a total value of $2,767,197.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 35,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,915,750. The trade was a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 25,403 shares of company stock worth $15,428,736 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atlatl Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% in the third quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC now owns 586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Trustmark Bank Trust Department raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 1,744 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,122 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC now owns 492 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 513 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

These are some of the MA headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on Mastercard to $764 from $730 and reiterated an “outperform” rating, implying 17.1% upside from the cited $652.48 reference price. TickerReport article
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is investing in regional growth. The company plans to add more than 250 specialist roles in Singapore by the end of 2029, while a new agreement with Nigeria’s SMEDAN will advance digitization for small businesses. These initiatives may broaden its regional reach, though hiring also entails investment. Straits Times article Daily Post article
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s Canadian holiday survey found shoppers are emphasizing budgeting and value. That is useful context for consumer spending, but the report does not provide evidence of a change in Mastercard’s payment volumes. Yahoo Finance article

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses and governments. Its network supports electronic payments, including transactions made with Mastercard-branded credit, debit and prepaid cards, as well as digital payment methods. The company provides technology for authorizing, clearing and settling transactions. It also offers services related to cybersecurity, identity verification, data analytics, fraud prevention and payment consulting.