Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Trading Up 0.2% - Time to Buy?

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) shares traded up 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $514.38 and last traded at $513.96. 290,922 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 2,428,429 shares. The stock had previously closed at $513.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $591.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $525.68.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $477.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $490.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $464.93.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, beating 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value 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 approximately $7,363,085.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MA. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 168.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.