Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Shares Up 0% Following Analyst Upgrade

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) rose 0% during trading on Friday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $533.00 to $567.00. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. Mastercard traded as high as $523.39 and last traded at $520.42. Approximately 618,952 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 2,444,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $520.40.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $544.00 to $564.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $549.16.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $8,440,885.80. This trade represents a 21.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total value of $50,952,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. The trade was a 0.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 208,370 shares of company stock valued at $97,749,218. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $504.09 and its 200 day moving average is $471.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market cap of $479.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.39 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.45 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 19.97%.

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.