Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 1,720,174 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the previous session’s volume of 2,457,223 shares.The stock last traded at $446.61 and had previously closed at $444.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.91.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $450.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $453.63. The firm has a market cap of $416.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total transaction of $136,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,202. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. 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.