Guru: Bernie Schaeffer
Newsletter: Option Advisor
BUY: MasterCard (nyse: MA)
MasterCard has been a stellar performer.
The security has been locked in a steep uptrend
since August 2006, gaining roughly 350% in
value. What's more, the equity has shrugged
off many of the fundamental troubles that
have pulled down the financial names this
year. In fact, the security has gained 5% since
the start of 2008, while the S&P 500 Index
(SPX) had lost more than 9%. This technical
strength comes as the equity has easily surpassed
the earnings expectations of the various
brokerage firms.
However, this technical and fundamental
strength has been met with skepticism among
investors as they try to call a top to the stock's
uptrend. Short sellers have flocked to the security,
resulting in 8.6% of the firm's total float
being sold short. An unwinding of these pessimistic
positions could add
some fresh buying pressure to
the shares. MasterCard could
also benefit from upgrades,
should analysts jump on the stock's bandwagon
and issue upgrades.
KEY STATS:
Recent Price: $296.02
52 Week High: $298.40
52 Week Low: $120.00
Market Cap ($BIL): $30.7
2007 Revenues ($BIL): $4.1
2007 Net Income ($BIL): $1.1
2007 EPS: $8.00
2007 Gross Margin: 54.4
2008 Est. EPS: $7.54
2008 Est. P/E: 31.2
Dividend Yield (%): 0.3
Short Interest/float (%): 12.9
Forbes Gurus---25 Stocks, ETFs and Funds for the Second Half 2008
20
(nyse: MA)
MasterCard Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides transaction processing and related services to customers principally in support of their credit, deposit access, electronic cash and automated teller machine payment card programs, and travelers cheque programs. The company develops and markets payment solutions, processes payment transactions, and provides consulting and information services to customers and merchants. It provides transaction processing and other payment-related services, which include facilitating the authorization, clearing, and settlement process of the transactions, as well as processing cross-border and currency conversion transactions. MasterCard Incorporated manages and licenses payment card brands, including MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus. The company’s payment programs, which are facilitated through its brands, include consumer credit and debit programs, commercial payment solutions, stored value programs, prepaid programs, and contactless payment solutions. As of December 31, 2007, it served approximately 25,000 financial institutions worldwide. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.
Analysts'
Recommendation: | Buy |
| 30 Days Ago: | Buy |
|
| Analysts' Target: | $311 |
| Analysts' Targets |
| BWS Financial | $367 |
| Sell |
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
|
| BWS Financial | $367 |
| Sell |
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
|
| SunTrust Robinson Humphrey | $390 |
| Buy |
Monday, June 02, 2008
|
| Lehman Brothers | $335 |
| Overweight |
Friday, May 30, 2008
|
| UBS Securities | $350 |
| Buy |
Thursday, May 01, 2008
|
| Deutsche Bank Securities | $340 |
| Hold |
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
|
| Bear Stearns & Co. | $254 |
| Outperform |
Thursday, March 13, 2008
|
| Credit Suisse | $215 |
| Underperform |
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
|
| Roth Capital Partners | $240 |
| Buy |
Friday, January 04, 2008
|
| Dividend Information |
| Dividend Yield: | 0.20 % |
| Dividend Yield 5yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Rate: | $ 0.60 % |
| Dividend Payout Ratio: | 6.00 % |
| Dividend Payout Ratio 5yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Growth Rate 3yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Growth Rate 5yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend AllStar™ Ranking: | |
| Consecutive Div. Increases: | 1 years |
| Dividend Payment Type: | Cash |
| Dividend Declaration Date: | Jun-03-2008 |
| Dividend Ex Date: | Jul-09-2008 |
| Dividend Record Date: | Jul-11-2008 |
| Dividend Pay Date: | Aug-11-2008 |
| Dividend Amount: | 0.1500 |
| Dividend Payments: | Last 12 months payments: 4 |
$280.85999 (07/19/08)
