Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA)’s share price traded up 16.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $238.44 and last traded at $237.07, 11,645,912 shares were traded during trading. An increase of 87% from the average session volume of 6,220,881 shares. The stock had previously closed at $203.30.
A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Mastercard from $294.00 to $266.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank boosted their price target on Mastercard from $320.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Macquarie assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $365.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Mastercard from $350.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.26.
The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $295.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $290.39. The stock has a market cap of $212.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.
Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Mastercard had a return on equity of 150.46% and a net margin of 48.08%. The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Inc will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.59%.
Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $8.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.
In other Mastercard news, Director Lance Darrell Gordon Uggla acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $265.00 per share, with a total value of $265,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,508,115. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 8,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $2,659,860.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 425,819 shares of company stock worth $135,948,244 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MA. Wealth Quarterback LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. John W. Brooker & Co. CPAs acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. First Command Bank raised its stake in Mastercard by 96.3% during the 4th quarter. First Command Bank now owns 161 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. 75.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Mastercard (NYSE:MA)
Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers related products and services.