Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Trading Up 0.3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) were up 0.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $510.17 and last traded at $508.74. 303,073 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 2,418,722 shares. The stock had previously closed at $507.36.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.68.

Mastercard Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $474.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $491.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% in 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 period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.