Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Receives $607.96 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-three have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $607.96.

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, 10Elms LLP bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE MA opened at $509.78 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $464.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.70, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $536.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $529.34. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

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.