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

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 1,720,174 shares changed hands 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 Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MA. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $531.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.91.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market cap of $416.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.09. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $450.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $453.63.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total transaction of $134,169.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,817,095.49. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Hai Ling sold 2,892 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.00, for a total transaction of $1,330,320.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,853,200. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total value of $134,169.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,817,095.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock worth $1,428,540,870. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.