Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Given New $520.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) had its price objective boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $504.00 to $520.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Raymond James boosted their price target on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a neutral rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $490.23.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $454.39 on Monday. Mastercard 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 $471.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $433.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock has a market cap of $423.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total transaction of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 37,728 shares of company stock valued at $17,739,753. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.