Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Given New $524.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price target decreased by Morgan Stanley from $536.00 to $524.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Oppenheimer reissued an outperform rating and issued a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, William Blair reissued an outperform rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $493.55.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA opened at $443.58 on Thursday. Mastercard has a 12-month low of $357.85 and a 12-month high of $490.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $413.81 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $469.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $437.74.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 14.22 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 583,088 shares of company stock valued at $266,873,978. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.