10 Best Stocks to Buy Before Spring

2. Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 151

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is the world’s second-largest payment processor. The company offers its clients a variety of payment processing and related services, including credit and debit cards, data analytics, settlements, payment deferrals, and more.

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) reported revenues of $7.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, up 14% from the same period the previous year. Compared to the previous year, the company’s net income rose to $3.5 billion in the quarter. In addition, by the end of Q4, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) had issued 3.5 billion MasterCard and Maestro-branded cards to its clients.

On February 13, Tigress Financial Partners maintained its Strong Buy rating on Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) and raised the price rating to $685 for the company’s shares. This revision reflects Mastercard Incorporated’s (NYSE:MA) stated growth and the assumption that the company would continue to benefit from the move to electronic payments and the rising demand for cybersecurity. The company’s rollout of Mastercard One Credential, which streamlines numerous payment choices for consumers, is also expected to increase market share.

Bretton Fund stated the following regarding Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:

“Visa and Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) kept doing their thing, increasing earnings per share by 15% and 12%, respectively, with their stocks returning 22% and 24%. We continue to closely watch the evolving payments space as it seems like everyone’s always trying to displace the card networks. For now, we don’t see anything gaining much traction.”