Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $610.00 at UBS Group

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its target price raised by UBS Group from $590.00 to $610.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $544.00 to $564.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $549.16.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $520.74. 1,527,547 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,448,168. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $395.55 and a 12 month high of $534.03. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $503.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $470.59. The stock has a market cap of $477.95 billion, a PE ratio of 39.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard will post 14.45 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total value of $42,192,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 91,649,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,965,195,590.40. This represents a 0.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total transaction of $2,294,994.10. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. This represents a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 208,370 shares of company stock valued at $97,749,218. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.