Guggenheim's David Darst Likes Mastercard's Report

Guggenheim analyst David Darst weighed in on MasterCard Inc's MA fourth-quarter results that were reported Friday morning. Darst told Benzinga in an email that, overall, he likes the company's report. The analyst points out that the report indicates “renewed strength” in cross border activity and that on a constant currency basis volumes are up 13 percent year-over-year, which was driven by overseas. Darst also suggested the lower price of oil hurts Mastercard and Visa Inc V, as consumers may be using the savings from fuel pumps to pay back debt. However, the analyst suggested that such a trend “could drive better volume growth later in the year” for both credit card issuers. Shares of Mastercard traded recently at $83.33, up 2.4 percent.