Monrovia prepaid debit card company Green Dot Corp. has extended its distribution deal with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., but for just another eight months – an announcement that earned mixed reviews from analysts.

Under the terms of the deal announced Monday, the Bentonville, Ark. retail giant will continue to market and sell Green Dot’s MoneyGram-branded prepaid debit cards through the end of next year. The deal had been set to expire in May.

Thomas McCrohan, an analyst who covers Green Dot for Birmingham, Ala. brokerage Sterne Agee, raised his price target for the company to $21 a share from $19 following the news. In research note released Tuesday, he said the deal removes short-term concerns about the arrangement with Wal-Mart, which makes up more than half of Green Dot’s revenue.

“The extension of the existing Walmart contract by eight months through the end of 2015 delays a significant risk heading into next year,” McCrohan wrote.

But Ashish Sabadra, an analyst who covers the company for German finance giant Deutsche Bank, said in a note Tuesday that the short-term extension raises concerns about why the two companies were not able to reach a longer deal – and that’s not a good sign for Green Dot.

Investors seem to have adopted the bearish sentiment, as Green Dot’s stock is down 6 percent to $20.46 on the New York Stock Exchange through midday trading.