Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $497.78.

Several research firms have issued reports on MA. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $531.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 107,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.98, for a total value of $47,719,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,891,308 shares in the company, valued at $41,427,665,541.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total transaction of $134,169.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,817,095.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 107,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.98, for a total value of $47,719,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,891,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,427,665,541.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,774,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,251,767,900. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Regal Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 1.9% in the third quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,044,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP boosted its position in Mastercard by 81.0% during the third quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 1,171 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 8.2% in the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 640,977 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $253,769,000 after purchasing an additional 48,784 shares in the last quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 7.6% in the third quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,409 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $558,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Visionary Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 5,311 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,103,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $450.11 on Wednesday. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $359.77 and a 1 year high of $490.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $453.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $451.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company has a market cap of $418.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard will post 14.22 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.99%.

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.