Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price Up 0.3% – Should You Buy?

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) shares rose 0.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $497.26 and last traded at $495.25. Approximately 710,868 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 2,453,498 shares. The stock had previously closed at $493.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their target price on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price objective for the company. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $517.22.

Mastercard Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $474.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $462.24. 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 stock has a market cap of $460.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 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. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was 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 approximately $8,440,885.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its stake in Mastercard by 213.2% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 8,456 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,607,000 after acquiring an additional 5,756 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 41,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $19,865,000 after buying an additional 2,676 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 96.8% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 593,789 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $253,144,000 after buying an additional 292,064 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in Mastercard by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 20,552 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,897,000 after buying an additional 2,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at about $608,000. 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.