Foundation Mastercard Sells 116,000 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.04, for a total value of $51,624,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,651,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,013,698,112.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, April 26th, Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total value of $52,732,980.00.
• On Wednesday, April 24th, Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00.
• On Monday, April 22nd, Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.46, for a total transaction of $49,863,140.00.
• On Thursday, April 18th, Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total transaction of $50,743,650.00.
• On Thursday, March 21st, Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $443.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $413.84 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $470.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $437.44. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MA. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $493.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,096,470,000 after buying an additional 742,076 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,974,478,000 after purchasing an additional 676,452 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,608,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,803,956,000 after purchasing an additional 605,909 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,595,559,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.9% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,075,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,593,025,000 after buying an additional 251,516 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

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.