Insider Selling: Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Sells 142,000 Shares of Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 142,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.14, for a total value of $62,783,880.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 96,377,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,612,262,959.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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, May 1st, Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.04, for a total transaction of $51,624,640.00.
• On Friday, April 26th, Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total transaction of $52,732,980.00.
• On Wednesday, April 24th, Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00.
• 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 stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA traded up $3.56 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $447.14. 1,393,433 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,459,190. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company has a market capitalization of $417.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $469.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $438.31.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MA. Barclays cut their price objective on Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.27.

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.