Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-one brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-three have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $607.96.

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $4.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $517.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,329,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,853. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $538.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $528.64. The stock has a market cap of $471.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

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.