Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Director Julius Genachowski Sells 370 Shares of Company Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Director Julius Genachowski sold 370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.21, for a total transaction of $218,377.70. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,237 shares in the company, valued at $4,861,559.77. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Julius Genachowski also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, October 9th, Julius Genachowski sold 371 shares of Mastercard stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.01, for a total transaction of $217,038.71.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.7%

MA stock opened at $604.95 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $464.52 and a 12-month high of $605.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The company has a market cap of $529.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.28, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $573.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $532.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.90 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. First Pacific Financial grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $554.00 to $633.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Daiwa Securities Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $580.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Mastercard from $580.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on Mastercard from $710.00 to $688.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $681.56.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Technical analysts say Mastercard may be approaching a long-term breakout after moving above key buy points and extending a multi-session winning streak. This is attracting momentum-oriented investors. Why the charts are signaling that Mastercard could be poised for a long-term breakout
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are anticipating Mastercard’s third-quarter results later this month, with analysts expecting double-digit earnings growth. The company’s latest reported quarter also exceeded consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue. Here’s What to Expect From Mastercard Incorporated’s Next Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is broadening its payments ecosystem through a crypto-linked card program with SoFi Tech Solutions and Orbi in Mexico. The program allows customers to spend crypto or fiat while merchants receive traditional currency, potentially increasing Mastercard network usage. Does Mastercard Using Orbi’s Crypto Card in Mexico Hint at a Deeper Network Strategy?
• Positive Sentiment: New digital-asset initiatives, including an Open USD stablecoin on Solana for cross-border payments, reinforce Mastercard’s strategy of participating in blockchain-based settlement and international commerce. Mastercard launches Open USD stablecoin on Solana for cross-border payments
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard announced an Africa cybersecurity center and partnered with WEX on an Asia-Pacific fleet-payments network projected to process billions of dollars in annual transactions, supporting longer-term growth in commercial and emerging-market payments. WEX and Mastercard partner to unify fleet payments across Asia-Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Julius Genachowski sold shares in two transactions under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sales modestly reduced his holdings but are less concerning because they were scheduled in advance. Mastercard SEC Form 4 insider transaction
• Negative Sentiment: Mastercard and Visa face a reported £700 million class action in the United Kingdom related to post-Brexit fees, creating a potential legal and financial overhang. Visa and Mastercard face £700m class action over post-Brexit fees

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates the authorization, clearing and settlement of electronic payment transactions, while generally not issuing cards or extending credit itself. Its network supports payments made in stores, online and through mobile devices.

Mastercard’s products and services include consumer and commercial payment cards, digital payment solutions, payment processing, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, identity verification, data and analytics, and open banking tools.