Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Insider Sells $136,200.00 in Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total transaction of $136,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,572,202. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded up $1.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $454.98. 2,332,407 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,469,699. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $468.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $439.23. The firm has a market cap of $424.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MA. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $496.27.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth $27,000. 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.