BNP Paribas Lowers Mastercard (NYSE:MA) to Neutral

BNP Paribas cut shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $470.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Argus upgraded Mastercard to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Susquehanna raised their price target on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $510.88.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:MA opened at $476.28 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $456.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $459.59. The company has a market capitalization of $442.76 billion, a PE ratio of 37.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total transaction of $42,192,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 91,649,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,965,195,590.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total value of $42,192,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 91,649,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,965,195,590.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,167,931 shares of company stock worth $531,284,982. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 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.