Insider Selling: Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Major Shareholder Sells 147,000 Shares of Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 147,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.58, for a total transaction of $65,794,260.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,230,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,070,761,254.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, May 3rd, Foundation Mastercard sold 142,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.14, for a total transaction of $62,783,880.00.
• 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 value 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 value of $52,732,980.00.
• On Wednesday, April 24th, Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock. The stock was 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 shares were 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 shares were 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 Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MA opened at $454.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $424.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year high of $490.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $468.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $439.23.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $496.27.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 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.