Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $490.23.

Several brokerages have recently commented on MA. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Raymond James upped their target price on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $510.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, February 1st.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,388,649.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 480,630 shares of company stock worth $221,479,470. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 1,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $788,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC boosted 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 worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Benin Management CORP grew its position in Mastercard by 3.0% during the first quarter. Benin Management CORP now owns 794 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% in 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 during the period. Finally, Strategic Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 6,881 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,314,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $5.91 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $451.19. 2,696,679 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,410,313. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year high of $490.00. The company has a market cap of $420.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.14, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $471.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $437.38.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

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.