Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Stock Price Down 0.1% – Time to Sell?

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) fell 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $504.20 and last traded at $505.14. 272,969 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 2,438,692 shares. The stock had previously closed at $505.58.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MA. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $540.17.

Mastercard Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $478.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company’s fifty day moving average is $498.11 and its 200 day moving average is $468.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 19.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total transaction of $50,952,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,970,017,774.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total transaction of $50,952,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,970,017,774.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 327,370 shares of company stock worth $153,495,958. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Mastercard by 46.4% in the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,785 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,120,000 after purchasing an additional 4,685 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 32.3% during the 1st quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. VitalStone Financial LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 55.0% in the 1st quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 93 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $228,000. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $233,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.