Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price Down 0.4%

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)’s stock price was down 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $489.68 and last traded at $494.32. Approximately 338,915 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,458,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $496.38.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. Citigroup upped their price target on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Susquehanna raised their target price on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $517.22.

Mastercard Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $460.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. 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 50 day moving average price is $472.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $462.01.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total transaction of $50,952,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’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 transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by 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.