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NYSE:MA

Mastercard Inc. (MA)

490.94
+1.15 (0.23%)
as of Jun 18, 2026, 11:04:55 pm Market Open.
149 watching
0
HOLD
It's been on fire. His rule is not to own more than 5% of a single stock in his portfolio, so he recently trimmed back to 5%. It's reaching its old high and slightly overbought, probably due for a pullback. You can take profits, but otherwise hold.
TOP PICK
It is a secular theme that goes beyond the business cycle. They are more focused on emerging markets, where the industry is growing faster than domestically. It does not matter if the business cycle slows down or not. (Analysts’ price target is $235.70)
COMMENT
Visa vs. Mastercard He loves this sector. Both are fine companies. They don't take credit risk (the associated banks do). Instead, they do payment transactions, and here Visa (1.9 trillion) dwarfs its competitors combined. Visa also has a bigger debit card business and are more international oriented than Mastercard; Visa has now absorbed Visa Europe, which used to be a different company. Europeans use cash more than credit, so there's great opportunity here.
WATCH
Trades in tandem with Visa. Looking at it, because they'd like exposure to emerging markets and MA is better positioned for this. Not cheap, but right now it's on sale. Rare to get a great company on sale.
DON'T BUY
Still has between 30 and 40% downside risk. Under no circumstance touch it. Same with Visa (V-N). Two companies that rode the momentum on the upside. Now they are coming down the other side. Valuation got too rich.
COMMENT
There is still lots of room for penetration in the credit card space in terms of the consumer not using cash but using plastic. You have to look at it long term. He feels there is still more upside. It's up 30% this year. V-N has a larger market share and has not had the same year as MA-T. You could say you are buying V-N at a slightly less rich a valuation. You will do fine on both long term. He does not own V-N because the dividend is less than 1%.
TOP PICK
Global secular trend over the next 10 - 20 years. Use of digital currency and electronic payments will continue to expand. The growth in E-commerce is undeniable. Last Tuesday they announced a $6 billion share buy back and boosted the dividend by 32%. Forward P/E is 27 with 29% growth. Good growth company. (Analysts’ price target is $233.14)
BUY
Visa vs. Mastercard He owns Mastercard which has done better than Visa. But both companies are great. Pick one. But you're paying for the growth rate (they are expensive). Trading at 31x earnings. Be careful of sudden drops in stock price.
TOP PICK
Bought it during the recent dip. They have 800 million cards around the world. Last year, they authorized a $4-billion share buyback. Boast 13 straight quarterly earnings surprises, high ROE and low leverage. (Analysts’ price target is $232.28)
DON'T BUY

Visa vs. Mastercard? MC is sluggish in Europe. Visa is making deals in India, which MC doen't like. MC has a long relationship with PayPal. MC's earnings are up $1.70, but mostly due to tax cuts. Do half a position. If it doubles, don't buy more. Managing your cash is the most improtant think. He likes both stocks, but not these prices.

COMMENT

How to play Mastercard and Visa in ETFs? They're heavyweights in the tech ETFs; XLK-Q (Visa is large in this) if you want liquidity. Also look at IGM-N.

BUY

She likes this space--it's a play on e-commerce and in countries where cash and cheque dominate payments. Credit cards will continue to grow. She owns Visa, though MA has done better lately. Nothing wrong with buying either in this pullback. They were getting pricey vs. a few weeks ago. She prefers Visa because they brought in Visa Europe last year which will raise their international presence and introduce new products and grow the company.

TOP PICK

This is a trend away from cash. Still some countries still use cash (i.e. Japan). They also created new services based on the data they collect with good margins. All analysts prefer this one vs VISA (V-N). Even as VISA (V-N) is cheaper on a multiple basis. (Analysts’ price target is $229.33)

COMMENT

Mastercard (MA-N ) vs. VISA (V-N). Owns Mastercard instead of VISA. But the charts look similar. All you do is jump in. With a long base, if you believe in the company, you’re not sure when it’s going to pop, but when it does, off it goes. VISA has made a new high, compared to the market, which has not.

COMMENT

Visa (V-N) or Mastercard (MA-N)? Likes the electronic payment space. Cash and cheques are still the predominant form of payment in many countries, so there’s lots of runway, even in developed markets. Bought Visa a couple of years ago and is happy to keep holding it. Benefits of buying Visa Europe will come through this year in terms of integration. There are opportunities for both companies in terms of market share -- no reason to switch from one to the other.

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