Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Sells $49,863,140.00 in Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.46, for a total value of $49,863,140.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,215,308 shares in the company, valued at $44,472,114,797.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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, April 18th, Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00.
• 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 value of $97,450.00.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $6.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $462.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,027,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,400,298. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $471.66 and a 200 day moving average of $434.80. The company has a market capitalization of $431.76 billion, a PE ratio of 38.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. 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 (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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.8% during the first quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC now owns 82,960 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,951,000 after purchasing an additional 4,579 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.8% during the first quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 35,320 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $17,009,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 26.9% during the first quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 811 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 7.8% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,357 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,617,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at approximately $510,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $490.23.

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.