Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Shares Down 1.1%

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) fell 1.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $463.62 and last traded at $463.72. 328,378 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 2,459,234 shares. The stock had previously closed at $468.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on MA. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. BNP Paribas upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $512.09.

Mastercard Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $432.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $450.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $458.47.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,643,175 shares of company stock worth $740,581,546. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its position 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.