Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Sells $50,743,650.00 in Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total transaction of $50,743,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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, March 21st, Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $455.39 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $357.85 and a one year high of $490.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $471.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $434.36. The firm has a market cap of $424.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 64,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,783,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 14,553 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after purchasing an additional 2,321 shares during the last quarter. FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,387 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,965,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Veracity Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 2,957 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,872 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.