Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Trading 1.1% Higher

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) rose 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $449.00 and last traded at $448.45. Approximately 392,455 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 2,467,482 shares. The stock had previously closed at $443.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Bank of America lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $505.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $498.57.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $417.40 billion, a PE ratio of 35.65, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $448.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $454.98.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.06, for a total transaction of $4,072,169.68. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,585,476.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.