Insider Selling: Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Sells 111,000 Shares of Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Foundation Mastercard also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 21st, Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE MA traded up $0.69 on Friday, hitting $455.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,545,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,408,385. The company's 50-day moving average is $471.70 and its 200 day moving average is $433.78. The firm has a market cap of $424.83 billion, a PE ratio of 38.49, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $357.85 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Bornite Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $21,442,000. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 6,007 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,541 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 272,358 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $97,335,000 after acquiring an additional 63,040 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $1,168,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter worth $12,926,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Mizuho reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $490.23.

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.