Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Shares Up 0.2% – What’s Next?

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)’s stock price shot up 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $514.38 and last traded at $513.96. 290,922 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 2,428,429 shares. The stock had previously closed at $513.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.68.

Mastercard Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company has a market capitalization of $468.70 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $491.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $465.24.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were 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 directly owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 55.0% during the 1st quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 93 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Company Profile

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.