Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price Down 0.4%

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) shares were down 0.4% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $456.07 and last traded at $457.44. Approximately 336,943 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,487,150 shares. The stock had previously closed at $459.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $508.91.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The stock has a market cap of $435.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.12, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $448.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $457.88.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 104,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.25, for a total value of $47,138,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 94,652,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,901,158,601. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total transaction of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,362,683.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 104,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.25, for a total transaction of $47,138,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 94,652,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,901,158,601. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,627,175 shares of company stock worth $730,399,436 over the last three months. Corporate 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in the 4th 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.