Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Shares Down 0.4% - Here's Why

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 0.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $510.26 and last traded at $511.80. 344,747 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 2,425,444 shares. The stock had previously closed at $513.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $525.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded Mastercard to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $525.68.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.6 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $490.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $464.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $474.55 billion, a PE ratio of 40.63, a PEG 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.

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 business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business's 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 owns 15,031 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 shares were 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 trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $35,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 168.6% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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.