Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Trading 0.3% Higher – Should You Buy?

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) shot up 0.3% on Monday . The company traded as high as $510.17 and last traded at $508.74. 303,073 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 2,418,722 shares. The stock had previously closed at $507.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.68.

Mastercard Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $493.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $465.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $467.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given 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 yield of 0.52%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.