MasterCard: Beats Analyst Estimates, Priceless

It has been a blowout year for card companies, which have seen earnings rise supported by growth in consumer spending in the US and abroad. MasterCard Inc. (MA) is no exception: The world’s second-largest card payment processing company beat analysts’ estimates for its third quarter (3QFY13) earnings and revenues by a fair margin.

For the quarter ending September 30, 2013, MasterCard’s net income grew to $879 million, with earnings (diluted) up 18% from the same quarter last year to $7.27 per share. The result beat analysts’ mean estimates by a healthy 4.5%.

The company’s net revenues for the quarter came in at $2.218 billion, up 16% from 3QFY12, driven mainly by increased payment volumes and transactions on the MasterCard, Maestro and Cirrus networks (all three are operated by MasterCard). Reported revenues were 4% better than consensus estimates of $2.133 billion. Operating income for the quarter was also 17% higher at $1.24 billion, with operating margins touching 56%.

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MasterCard Announces Stock Split, Increases Dividends

MasterCard Inc. (MA), the country’s second largest payment processing company, announced yesterday, a 10-for-1 stock split and all investors who own company stock on January 9, 2014 will receive nine additional shares for each one they own. The company’s total outstanding shares on the NYSE would increase from 120 million to 1.2 billion and the stock price will readjust to under $80.

The company also announced an 83% increase in its quarterly dividend and a share buyback program worth $3.5 billion. MasterCard stock price jumped 4.8% after-hours trading to reach $800.

The stock split will effectively result in the company’s shares becoming more attractive for retail investors, making them affordable to those looking to buy individual shares in the company.

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C-SAM and MasterCard Inc Announce Strategic Partnership

Mobile wallet and transactions platform provider C-SAM and MasterCard Inc announced a global strategic partnership, as well as a minority investment by MasterCard. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Read more.

Mastercard Inc : RBMovil, the First Mobile Payments Solution in Colombia, Launched Today

MasterCard's support, launched the first platform that enables mobile devices to accept electronic payments via mobile in Colombia

Colombia's leading electronic payment processing company, continues to set the standards of high innovation and technology with the launch of its RBMóvil device in partnershipwith MasterCard. This new product allows electronic payments to be accepted through an application installed on a smartphone, enabling more Colombians to accept electronic payments through an innovative solution that is secure and easy to use. Furthermore, the product launch is in line with Colombia's national policy aimed at increasing financial inclusion.

  

Merchants and independent professionals that are selling their services or products can begin using RBMóvil to accept payments from their clients. They only need to have a smartphone such as an Android. Read more

MasterCard Tap & Go™ Contactless Technology Paves the Way for Mobile Payments in Canada

MasterCard today announced it has signed a strategic agreement with Rogers Communications to support mobile payment innovation, including the Rogers™ Prepaid MasterCard® available inside the newly launched Rogers suretap™ wallet operating on MasterCard's payment network. The suretap™ wallet allows customers to simply tap their phone to pay at the tens of thousands of retailers across Canada currently accepting contactless card payments.

"MasterCard has laid the groundwork for mobile payments in Canada thanks to our market-leading contactless payment footprint. This is another step forward in driving mobile payment adoption," said Betty DeVita , President, MasterCard Canada. "As a technology company, enabling mobile payments is a priority as we know consumers are using their smartphones as commerce devices. Paying securely from a smartphone puts time back in the hands of consumers, and adds value to a seamless checkout experience for both shoppers and retailers."

Since it was introduced in 2006, MasterCard's contactless acceptance footprint has expanded to include 72 per cent of Canada's top retailers and has enabled Canadians to tap their cards more than 330 million times to pay securely. Read more.

Holiday Credit Boon How MasterCard Can Boost Your Bottom Line

Companies like Amazon (AMZN) and Sears (SHLD) sell a lot of products during the Christmas season. This is a given. But no one usually considers who else profits from increased consumer spending (and overspending). Credit card companies such as MasterCard (MA), Visa (V), and American Express (AXP) not only see a higher usage of their cards, but they receive an assessment fee from the retailer every time someone uses their card to make a purchase. This is part of a transaction fee that retailers must pay for every purchase, and it's usually already priced into the product.

Credit cards will continue to see heavy usage after the holiday season with the help of low interest rates, which allow Americans to borrow more. Last week, the FED decided not to taper quantitative easing (contributing $85 billion per month to American banks while keeping interest rates low) in order to compensate for the effects of the government shutdown - that means financials, including the credit market. Read more.