Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 9,394 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 180% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,350 call options.
Mastercard (NYSE:MA) opened at 127.91 on Friday. Mastercard has a 52 week low of $94.41 and a 52 week high of $132.20. The stock has a market cap of $137.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.40 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $124.61 and its 200 day moving average is $116.07.
Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.98 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 72.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard will post $4.35 earnings per share for the current year.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 5th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.98%.
Several research firms have commented on MA. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. Citigroup Inc. boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $123.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 19th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Vetr downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $115.30 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, May 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $126.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $126.97.
In other Mastercard news, CEO Ajay Banga sold 161,742 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.27, for a total value of $18,967,484.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 333,495 shares in the company, valued at $39,108,958.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 87,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.60, for a total transaction of $11,092,438.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 112,736,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,272,463,814.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 629,038 shares of company stock worth $79,003,630. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MA. Glassman Wealth Services increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the first quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 1,769 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Norway Savings Bank increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the second quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Genesee Valley Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the first quarter. Genesee Valley Trust Co. now owns 6,246 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $702,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Concert Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 0.3% in the first quarter. Concert Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,467 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA increased its position in Mastercard by 0.3% in the second quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 6,448 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $783,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.83% of the company’s stock.
About Mastercard
MasterCard Incorporated is a technology company that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses across the world, enabling them to use electronic forms of payment. The Company operates through Payment Solutions segment. The Company allows user to make payments by creating a range of payment solutions and services using its brands, which include MasterCard, Maestro and Cirrus.
Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Incorporated Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard Incorporated and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
