BNP Paribas Lowers Mastercard (NYSE:MA) to Neutral

BNP Paribas lowered shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. BNP Paribas currently has $470.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Bank of America downgraded Mastercard from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $505.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. William Blair upgraded shares of Mastercard to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $510.88.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:MA opened at $477.36 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $455.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $459.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $443.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a one year low of $359.77 and a one year high of $490.00.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.99%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,167,931 shares of company stock worth $531,284,982. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% in the first quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 1,637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Quilter Plc grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% in the second quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 801 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 484 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Benin Management CORP boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Benin Management CORP now owns 794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

About Mastercard

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.