Insider Selling: Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Sells 114,000 Shares of Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total transaction of $52,732,980.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,767,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,761,653,661.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major 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 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 shares were 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 stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value 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 Down 1.1 %

NYSE:MA traded down $5.11 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $457.31. The company had a trading volume of 977,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,392,480. The firm has a market capitalization of $426.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $471.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $436.61. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $357.85 and a 12-month high of $490.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. TD Cowen began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $490.23.

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.