Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Trading Up 0.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)’s stock price traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Friday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $536.00 to $576.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Mastercard traded as high as $499.66 and last traded at $499.60. 305,399 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 2,431,713 shares. The stock had previously closed at $498.02.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on MA. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.96.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $480.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $462.99. The company has a market capitalization of $464.01 billion, a PE ratio of 38.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 20.18%.

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.