Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price Up 0.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) rose 0.2% on Wednesday after Robert W. Baird raised their price target on the stock from $545.00 to $575.00. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Mastercard traded as high as $508.92 and last traded at $508.18. Approximately 520,013 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 2,430,974 shares. The stock had previously closed at $507.23.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on MA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $524.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $473.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.40, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $483.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $463.24.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

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.