Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $594.71 and last traded at $590.78, with a volume of 2238068 shares. The stock had previously closed at $589.54.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $551.43 and a 200 day moving average of $543.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $536.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.31 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,196,757.55. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MA. 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $282,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.9% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 386 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $304,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $321,342,000. 97.28% of the stock is 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.