Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Issues Earnings Results

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $2.48 on Friday, hitting $443.58. 3,711,610 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,507,301. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $469.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $437.74. The firm has a market cap of $413.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $493.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.04, for a total transaction of $51,624,640.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,651,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,013,698,112.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.04, for a total transaction of $51,624,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 96,651,308 shares in the company, valued at $43,013,698,112.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 583,088 shares of company stock valued at $266,873,978. Company insiders own 0.13% 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.