Mastercard's Quarterly Earnings Preview: What You Need to Know

Mastercard Incorporated (MA), headquartered in Purchase, New York, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services. Valued at $464.9 billion by market cap, the company offers payment processing services for credit and debit cards, electronic cash, automated teller machines, and travelers checks. The payments giant is expected to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings for 2026 before the market opens on Thursday, Apr. 30. 

Ahead of the event, analysts expect MA to report a profit of $4.40 per share on a diluted basis, up 18% from $3.73 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has consistently surpassed Wall Street’s EPS estimates in its last four quarterly reports. 

For the full year, analysts expect MA to report EPS of $19.52, up 14.8% from $17.01 in fiscal 2025. Its EPS is expected to rise 15.3% year over year to $22.51 in fiscal 2027. 

MA stock has underperformed the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 34.9% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares up marginally during this period. Similarly, it underperformed the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLF) 12.4% gains over the same time frame.

On Jan. 29, MA shares closed up more than 4% after reporting its Q4 results. Its adjusted EPS of $4.76 surpassed Wall Street expectations of $4.20. The company’s revenue was $8.8 billion, topping Wall Street forecasts of $8.7 billion.

Analysts’ consensus opinion on MA stock is bullish, with a “Strong Buy” rating overall. Out of 37 analysts covering the stock, 29 advise a “Strong Buy” rating, four suggest a “Moderate Buy,” and four give a “Hold.” MA’s average analyst price target is $652.66, indicating a potential upside of 25.2% from the current levels.