Back to top

Image: Bigstock

MasterCard (MA) Outperforms Broader Market: What You Need to Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

MasterCard (MA - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $589.27, moving +1.71% from the previous trading session. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.85%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 1.36%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.72%.

Shares of the processor of debit and credit card payments witnessed a gain of 0.26% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Business Services sector with its gain of 1.01%, and the S&P 500's gain of 2.38%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of MasterCard in its upcoming release. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $4.3, marking a 10.54% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $8.48 billion, indicating a 15.08% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $16.32 per share and a revenue of $32.42 billion, representing changes of +11.78% and +15.1%, respectively, from the prior year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for MasterCard. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.18% higher within the past month. Right now, MasterCard possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that MasterCard has a Forward P/E ratio of 35.51 right now. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 14.74 of its industry.

We can additionally observe that MA currently boasts a PEG ratio of 2.37. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Financial Transaction Services was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.24 at yesterday's closing price.

The Financial Transaction Services industry is part of the Business Services sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 66, this industry ranks in the top 27% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Mastercard Incorporated (MA) - free report >>

Published in