MasterCard Inc
Latest MasterCard Inc News and Updates

Why High-Margin Stocks Are a Good Buy Amid Economic Uncertainty

Digital Assets Are on the Rise and MasterCard Joins in With USDC

AXP’s Valuations Down in 4Q15, Targeted $1 Billion in Savings
American Express (AXP) expects its full-year 2016 EPS to be between $5.40–$5.70. It looks to return to positive EPS growth in 2016 and is targeting a minimum of $5.60 EPS for 2017.

Mergers and Marketing Efforts Pressure MasterCard’s Margins
MasterCard’s rebates and incentives rose by 18% to $1.0 billion in 1Q16—higher than expected, mainly due to the timing of some deals and acquisitions.

A Look at Capital One’s Valuations
Capital One Financial Corporation’s (COF) PE (price-to-earnings) ratio is 8.77x on an NTM basis compared to its competitors’ average PE ratio of 20.79x.

Visa Expected to Post Healthy Margins in Fiscal 3Q16
Visa (V) has maintained its operating margin above 60% over the past few years. The company’s major expenses include personnel, marketing, network and processing, and professional fees.

Increased Spending, Electronic Payments Beneficial for Visa
Visa’s total transactions grew by 11% on a YoY (year-over-year) basis in fiscal 4Q15. The company reported total transactions of 27.9 billion in fiscal 4Q15, as compared to 25 billion in fiscal 4Q14.

How Payment Processors Are Performing amid Challenges in 2016
Payment processors are seeing major changes in 2016, including increased competition on pricing and the adoption of new technologies such as wearables.

Which Payment Processor Has the Highest Payouts and Repurchases?
Payment processors are rewarding their shareholders with 1%–2% dividend yields, largely dependent on operating performance.

MasterCard’s Leverage Is Comfortable for Expansion, Acquisitions
MasterCard (MA) has debt of $3.3 billion with a total balance sheet of $15.9 billion as of March 31, 2016. This compares to $16.2 billion in 4Q15.

Can American Express Distributions Continue to Attract Investors?
American Express (AXP) has been using its strong balance sheet position to consistently declare dividends to its shareholders.

Revisiting PayPal–Amazon Payment Partnership Talks
PayPal’s (PYPL) chief financial officer, John Rainey, mentioned partnering with Amazon (AMZN) during a recent Credit Suisse technology event. He didn’t clarify whether the companies were still in active talks.

Understanding PayPal’s Choice Transition
PayPal reported that its payment transaction per active account increased 12.0% year-over-year in 1Q17.

What to Expect from Mastercard Moving Forward
Wall Street analysts expect Mastercard (MA) to post earnings per share (or EPS) of $1.25 for 1Q18.

How IBM Could Monetize Its Food-Tracking Platform
IBM (IBM) has built a blockchain platform that provides real-time tracking of the food supply chain.

Investors should watch Discover’s stock in the longer term
Discover Financial’s (DFS) stock price rose from $14.70 at the end of 2009 to $65.50 at the end of 2014. This is an increase of 346%.

Tiger Global raises its position in MasterCard
MasterCard plans to sustain its growth and revenue by improving its pricing and increasing its processed transactions.

Lone Pine Capital starts new positions in BIDU, MA, DVA, P, Sells ISRG, RL – 13F Flash (C)
Lone Pine Capital LLC, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, was founded in 1997 by Stephen Mandel and is one of the largest equity-focused hedge funds in the United States. It is estimated to have $28.3 billion of assets under management. In Q3 2013, it started new positions in Baidu Inc. (BIDU), MasterCard Inc. (MA), Davita Healthcare […]

Visa Processed Transactions in Line with Expectations
Visa (V) reported total processed transactions of 27.9 billion in 4Q15 compared to 25 billion in 4Q14. Total transactions are payments and cash transactions reported by clients on operating certificates.

Payment Processors Dividends Are Now Rising on This
Payment processors are rewarding their shareholders with dividend yields of 1%–2%, depending largely on operating performance.

Visa Establishes Partnerships to Expand in China
Visa announced partnerships with the China Foundation for Development of Financial Education and the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation.

Why PayPal Stock Is an Attractive Pick for Investors
On Thursday, PayPal stock rose 2.6% and closed at $168.05 after an analyst upgrade. At the last closing price, PayPal’s market cap was $197.3 billion.

Is AXP Stock a ‘Sell’ after Its Q1 Earnings?
Today at 7:02 AM ET, AXP stock rose 1.1% to $84.10 in the pre-market session. The company reported its first-quarter earnings results on April 24.

Will Tech Stocks Push S&P 500 to Record Highs?
Tech stocks have been on a roll since the start of 2019. The S&P 500 ETF (INDEXSP: INX) has gained 31.4% since January 2019.

Bitcoin Year in Review and 2020 Forecast
I wouldn’t call 2019 a sea of tranquility for Bitcoin. But at least it wasn’t as much of a roller-coaster ride as the two preceding years.

Why This Month Is Crucial for Facebook’s Libra Project
In the coming weeks, Libra Association members will start committing to Facebook’s (FB) Libra cryptocurrency project formally.

PayPal Abandons Facebook’s Libra: Could Others Follow?
PayPal announced its withdrawal from the 28-member team of Facebook’s Libra Project. Libra has received criticism from the public and private sectors.

What’s Happened in the Libra Project This Month
Although Zuckerberg was banking on Libra, the cryptocurrency project has landed on shaky ground. Here’s a rundown of its challenges this month.

Libra 101: All You Need to Know about the Cryptocurrency
Last week, Facebook (FB) and other founding members of the Libra Association launched Libra. Libra will be governed by a handful of large organizations including Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT), Visa (V), and Mastercard (MA). By the planned launch in 2020, Facebook expects to have 100 members in the governing body.

Will Libra Cryptocurrency Survive Assault from Lawmakers?
Last week, the US House of Representatives asked Facebook (FB) to stop developing its Libra cryptocurrency.

Libra Cryptocurrency Transactions Might Not Start in 2020
While Facebook set the middle of 2020 as the Libra Cryptocurrency’s launch date, many people think that the deadline might be too aggressive.

Card shark Citigroup plays for major revenue
Citigroup is the world’s largest credit card issuer. Bank of America and Capital One follow Citigroup in terms of credit and charge volume.

Why Blue Ridge Capital exits position in Coach
Coach shares fell in June after the company said it will close 70 out of its 351 North American full-price stores by the end of the first half of 2015.

Facebook Pay: PayPal Isn’t the Target After Libra Exit
Facebook (FB) launched a new payment service that will work across its family of apps. The payment service is called Facebook Pay.

Lone Pine Capital starts new positions in BIDU, MA, DVA, P, Sells ISRG, RL – 13F Flash (B)
Lone Pine Capital LLC, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, was founded in 1997 by Stephen Mandel and is one of the largest equity-focused hedge funds in the United States. It is estimated to have $28.3 billion of assets under management. In Q3 2013, it started new positions in Baidu Inc. (BIDU), MasterCard Inc. (MA), Davita […]

US GDP Shatters Expectations, Pessimists Run for Cover
The US GDP increased at an impressive rate of 1.9% for the third quarter. The growth beat the expectations of around 1.6% for the quarter.

Are Mastercard’s Earnings Results a Win for America?
Mastercard just posted a solid earnings beat. It’s been a blockbuster Q3 for payment companies, with Visa and American Express beating projections, too.

Could the Fed Trigger an S&P 500 Crash This Week?
The S&P 500 Index, which is trading close to an all-time high, could be affected by the Fed’s tone in its upcoming meeting.

Libra Responds to PayPal’s Exit from Facebook Currency Project
PayPal (PYPL) has decided to drop out of Facebook’s (FB) Libra Association, the group set to run the Libra cryptocurrency network.

Why Apple Services Are Overshadowing the iPhone
By 2020, Apple aims to double its Services revenue from 2016. Meanwhile, the iPhone is looking less and less important for the company.

Analysts Bet on Square Stock: What’s Next?
Square (SQ) stock is up over 3% in today’s trading session. SQ jumped after Wells Fargo upgraded its rating to “outperform” from “market perform.”

Verizon and Wells Fargo Are Getting on the Blockchain
Verizon (VZ) and Wells Fargo (WFC) are taking steps to integrate blockchain technology into their business models. Here’s why.

Apple Card’s Launch Date in August Isn’t Confirmed
Despite not knowing the Apple Card’s launch date, the card moved from a promise to a reality. Apple Card is a reality inside Apple offices.

Has Trump’s Mistrust for Tech Affected His Views on Libra?
Late Thursday, Trump hurled three tweet bombs at cryptocurrencies, specifically naming Bitcoin and Facebook’s (FB) Libra.

Libra and Big Tech Go to Capitol Hill and Cryptocurrencies Fall
Yesterday, Facebook’s (FB) David Marcus, head of Facebook’s Calibra wallet, visited Capitol Hill to testify in front of the Senate Banking Committee.

How Long Will Facebook’s Libra Fuel Bitcoin Rally?
Ever since the news about Facebook’s (FB) cryptocurrency project broke, Bitcoin has rallied on the hope that Facebook’s entry in the space will help make cryptocurrencies mainstream. Facebook’s cryptocurrency will be called Libra and will be governed by an association with 28 founding members across industries.

MasterCard and Visa’s Valuation and Earnings Growth
Currently, MasterCard (MA) is trading at a forward PE ratio of ~33x—higher than Visa’s (V) ratio of ~30x.

Mastercard Targets Gig Workers with Lyft Partnership
Continuing with its innovative ways to expand its customer base, Mastercard (MA) is now targeting the “gig economy.”

Analyzing Visa’s Valuation after Its Q2 Earnings
Visa (V) is trading at a forward PE ratio of 27.7x, which is higher than its five-year average PE ratio of 24.5x.

Berkshire-Backed StoneCo Tumbles after ITUB Ups Ante
StoneCo (STNE) was trading down 27.6% as of 1:30 PM ET. The negative price action was driven by an announcement by Itaú Unibanco Holding (ITUB).

Berkshire Hathaway: Payment Industry in Q1
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) has invested in several payment industry stocks like Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), American Express (AXP), and StoneCo.

Digitization and Tech Investment Drove Visa’s Payment Volume
Visa’s (V) fourth-quarter results benefited from the growing global trend of cashless transactions.

Visa’s Q4 Profit Jumps 34%: A Look at Key Growth Drivers
Visa’s adjusted fourth-quarter EPS jumped 34% year-over-year to $1.21 and surpassed Wall Street analysts’ estimates by a penny.

Improving Economy and Retail Sales to Boost Mastercard’s Q3 Results
A healthy job market and a steady hike in wages have increased the spending power of consumers.

What Will Drive Mastercard’s Third-Quarter Earnings?
Mastercard (MA) is scheduled to report its third-quarter results on October 30.

Where Visa Does Stand among Its Peers?
Analysts gave Visa a target price of $164.47, which is a 16% increase from the current level of $141.74. In 2017, the stock gained ~46%.

Visa’s Q4 Results to Gain from Improving Economy and Retail Sales
The US GDP grew 4.2% in the second quarter, which was almost double the 2.2% increase registered in the first quarter.

Higher Payment Volumes to Drive Visa’s Q4 2018 Earnings
Visa (V) plans to report its Q4 2018 earnings on October 24. Analysts expect Visa to report EPS of $1.20, marking YoY growth of 33.3%.

Mastercard Sees a Significant Opportunity in India
Mastercard made its first investment in the Indian market in 2010 by buying a stake in ElectraCard Services, which is a locally based software solutions and payments management firm.

Mastercard to Gain from Improving Economy and Rising Retail Sales
The Consumer Confidence Index increased to 133.4 in August from 127.9 in July—its highest reading since its October 2000 reading of 135.8.

Rising Digital Payments to Support Mastercard’s Long-Term Growth
Statista projects that the total value of global digital payment transactions could increase to ~$5.41 trillion in 2022 from ~$2.75 trillion in 2017.

Mastercard Sees Larger Opportunity in B2B Payment Space
Since 2017, Mastercard has been working to accelerate the adoption of digital payments in the travel industry through its various platforms.

Improving GDP and Retail Sales Could Boost Visa’s Platform Usage
Improving GDP growth, a healthy job market, and steady wage growth have increased the disposable income of consumers, thereby giving them greater spending power.

Visa Sizzles on Strong Digitization Trends and Improving Economy
Visa stock (V), which was around $78 at the beginning of 2017, now trades close to $143, a jump of over 83%.

Will Analysts Stay Optimistic about Visa Stock?
In the fiscal third quarter, Visa (V) witnessed strong growth on a YoY (year-over-year) basis in all its primary business metrics.

What Fueled Visa’s Payment Volumes in Fiscal Q3 2018?
In the third quarter, Visa (V) witnessed a rise in payment volumes from the United States on a sequential basis from 10.1% to 10.5%.

How Analysts Rate Mastercard
Analysts’ rating on Mastercard (MA) improved in July compared to June.

Understanding Visa’s Take on Contactless Payments
Visa (V) has been making efforts to increase the use of contactless payments in the United States after experiencing a positive response.

Mastercard Has Premium Valuations after Strong Q2 2018 Results
Mastercard (MA) has a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.04x on an NTM (next-12-month) basis compared to the peer average of 15.95x.

Understanding Visa’s Views on Europe and India
Visa (V) posted total payment volumes amounting to $2.1 trillion in its fiscal third quarter.

How Mastercard’s Gross Dollar Volumes and Net Revenues Trended
In the second quarter, Mastercard (MA) witnessed total gross dollar volumes (or GDV) of $1.5 trillion.

Fintech Startups Grabbed a Larger Share of US Personal Loans
The total spending on Visa’s (V) network rose 11% to $2.1 trillion in the second quarter—slightly better than analysts’ estimates of $2.09 trillion.

Discover Financial’s Q2 2018: Total Loans Grew 9% Year-over-Year
On July 26, Discover Financial Services (DFS) released its earnings report for the second quarter.

Visa Posts Strong Fiscal Q3 2018 Results: Payments Volume Rose
On July 25, Visa (V) posted its third fiscal quarter results. The company posted an EPS of $1.20, which exceeds Wall Street analysts’ expectations.

Visa’s Payments Volumes Could Fuel Its Growth
On July 25, Visa (V) is scheduled to report its results for the third fiscal quarter. Analysts expect Visa to post an EPS of $1.09.

Mastercard’s Q2 Preview: Spending, Macro Data Could Be Drivers
Mastercard (MA) is set to release its second-quarter earnings report on July 26. What can we expect?

Capital One’s Net Interest Margin Fell in the Second Quarter
Capital One Financial (COF) posted second-quarter results on July 19.

American Express in Q2: Drivers Could Be Loan Growth, Spending
On July 18, American Express (AXP) is expected to report its Q2 2018. Analysts expect EPS to be $1.82 compared to $1.86 in the first quarter.

Capital One’s Q2: Expectations Amid Trade Wars, Improved Economy
Capital One (COF) is expected to release its Q2 2018 earnings on July 19. Analysts expect EPS of $2.68, a YoY rise of 38.1%.

What Factors Could Influence Analysts’ Ratings on Discover?
Growing trade tensions are a primary concern, as they could impact the performances of Discover Financial Services (DFS) and its peers.

What Discover Financial Has in Mind Moving Forward
Discover Financial Services (DFS) generated net interest income amounting to $2.1 billion in the first quarter.

What’s behind Mastercard’s Co-Brand Wins?
The economic and business environment prevailing in an economy affects the business fundamentals of payment processing giants like Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA).

How Analysts View American Express Stock
In June, eight of the 32 analysts covering the stock have given it a “buy” rating, and two analysts have given it a “strong sell.”

What’s Affected Consumer Finance Companies Recently?
On June 25, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw strong downward pressure primarily due to escalating US-China trade tensions.

American Express Global Commercial Services: What Could Impact It
American Express’s (AXP) Global Commercial Services segment’s non-interest revenues rose 9% YoY in the first quarter.

American Express: What the Second Quarter Holds
The second quarter could be beneficial for American Express (AXP) due to an expected rise in consumer loans and transactions.

Understanding Visa’s Service Revenue and Visa Direct
In fiscal Q3 2018, Visa’s (V) service revenue could rise YoY (year-over-year) due to its payment volumes rising YoY in fiscal Q2 2018.

Mastercard Is Focusing on These Three Areas
Mastercard (MA) is focused on connecting consumers to their bank accounts to drive transactions and eliminate the need for cash.

What Boosted Square Stock Last Week
Square (SQ) stock rose ~11.5% to close at $54.73 last week (ended May 11).

Will the Strength of Cryptocurrencies Last?
The top cryptocurrencies have been on a surge. The overall market cap of all cryptocurrencies has increased to $457.7 billion.

Mastercard’s Strong Results Beat Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Mastercard (MA) released its earnings report this morning. The company reported earnings per share or EPS of $1.50 in 1Q18.

3 Stocks Rallying on Strong Earnings
It’s an action-packed week for earnings, and a lot of stocks are on the move in today’s trading session. Let’s take a quick look at three that are moving higher on strong results.

18 Earnings Reports We’re Watching Closely Next Week
Last big week of earnings kicks off with not a lot to show for it in the market The week of April 30 is an exciting one in terms of earnings, and here are 18 companies we will be watching closely: Monday McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) – before the market opens – great year last […]

Visa Ready Enters New Partnerships, Outlook on Fintechs
On February 27, 2018, Visa (V) announced that it had added 14 technology companies to its Visa Ready for Transit program.

A Major Concern: Visa’s Share in This Market Is Diluting
The demonetization effect in India has created the need for digital payments, and Visa has seen a substantial rise in transactions as a result.

Mastercard Targets Middle East and Africa with This Move
On March 6, 2018, Mastercard (MA) announced the acquisition of Oltio in order to streamline its payment processes in the Middle East and Africa.

Mastercard Partners with Dream Payments
On February 27, 2018, Mastercard (MA) announced a partnership with Dream Payments to facilitate payments to insurance customers.

Mastercard Partners with M-Kopa Solar
On February 26, 2018, Mastercard (MA) announced that it has entered a partnership with M-Kopa, a solar energy company.

What Are Mastercard’s Growth Strategies?
Over the past few years, Mastercard’s (MA) revenues have remained consistent.

Total System Services’ Share Repurchases and Dividend Payments
In fiscal 2017, TSS returned nearly $363.0 million in share repurchases and dividend payments to its stakeholders.