Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Foundation Mastercard Sells 109,000 Shares

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Foundation Mastercard also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, April 22nd, Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was 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 transaction 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 transaction of $97,450.00.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA traded down $0.95 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $461.55. 990,913 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,402,629. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a market capitalization of $430.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.10, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $357.85 and a 52-week high of $490.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $471.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $435.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $490.23.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

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.