Erste Group Bank Lifts Earnings Estimates for Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Mastercard in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the credit services provider will earn $19.58 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $19.55. The consensus estimate for Mastercard’s current full-year earnings is $15.91 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Mastercard’s FY2027 earnings at $22.63 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial set a $611.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Evercore set a $610.00 target price on Mastercard in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Daiwa Securities Group set a $610.00 price target on Mastercard and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Macquarie Infrastructure raised their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $669.27.

Mastercard Stock Down 6.0%

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $495.06 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $549.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $561.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $441.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.83. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $465.59 and a 1 year high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The business had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in Mastercard by 53,535.0% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 72,597,097 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $41,444,231,000 after purchasing an additional 72,461,743 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 55,868.1% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,421,148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,541,880,000 after buying an additional 13,397,168 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth $6,725,317,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 861.6% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 4,072,210 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,324,743,000 after acquiring an additional 3,648,748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Mastercard by 25.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,372,404 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,580,909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,299,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s open finance technology was chosen as the backbone for Truist Financial’s first open banking platform, replacing credential-sharing with tokenized, permissioned API connections — a revenue/market-share opportunity for MA as banks modernize. Mastercard (MA) Strengthens Banking Ties, Maintains Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and Ericsson announced a partnership to integrate Ericsson’s Fintech Platform with Mastercard Move to expand mobile money and cross-border payments in emerging markets — expands addressable market and product stack for MA. Mastercard and Ericsson Partner to Expand Global Digital Payment Capabilities
• Positive Sentiment: Cloudflare and Mastercard formed a strategic partnership to build tools (including cybersecurity and risk solutions) for small businesses and critical infrastructure — could increase product-led revenue and stickiness for merchant services. Cloudflare, Inc. (NET) Enters into Strategic Partnership with Mastercard Incorporated
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group updated forecasts that point to increased earnings for Mastercard — analyst/forecast support can underpin valuation and investor confidence. Erste Group Bank Forecasts Increased Earnings for Mastercard
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s community programs (teaching seniors digital banking safety) are receiving publicity — positive for brand and adoption but limited direct near-term revenue impact. Mastercard: From App Shy to Scamwise, These Seniors Are Learning To Bank Digitally and Safely
• Negative Sentiment: Citrini Research published a thought experiment where autonomous AI agents and low-fee stablecoin rails erode the 2–3% interchange economics — a structural risk scenario that could materially pressure Mastercard’s core revenue model if adopted at scale. Mastercard In Crosshairs: Citrini Models AI Agents Bypassing Interchange As Stablecoins Threaten Card Economics
• Negative Sentiment: A broader “dystopian AI” scenario report triggered a sector selloff that hit payments and software names, weighing on Mastercard’s share price this session despite company-specific positives. Dystopian AI report sinks payment and software stocks

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.