Michael Miebach Sells 15,775 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock

Michael Miebach, the CEO of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report), recently sold 15,775 shares of the company’s stock on March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, yielding a total transaction value of approximately $8,678,774. Following this sale, Miebach retains ownership of 84,871 shares in the company, which are valued at around $46,692,629.36. It is important to note that this sale represents a 15.67% decrease in his ownership stake. Details of this transaction were disclosed through a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Mastercard Stock Performance

On Thursday, Mastercard shares increased by $8.57 during trading, reaching a price of $557.64. The trading volume for the day was 2,880,866 shares, surpassing the average trading volume of 2,729,166 shares. The company’s 50-day simple moving average stands at $549.58, with a 200-day simple moving average of $526.06. Mastercard enjoys a market capitalization of $508.40 billion and a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 40.15, alongside a price-to-earnings growth (P/E/G) ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has seen a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. Moreover, Mastercard has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard Financial Results

Mastercard recently announced its earnings for the quarter ending on January 30th. The credit services provider reported earnings of $3.82 per share (EPS), surpassing the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. The company exhibited an impressive return on equity of 188.47% and a net profit margin of 45.71%. Analysts predict that Mastercard will achieve an EPS of 15.91 for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement

Additionally, Mastercard declared a quarterly dividend, which is set to be paid on May 9th. Shareholders recorded on April 9th will receive a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date for this distribution is also April 9th, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.04, which represents a yield of 0.55%. Presently, Mastercard maintains a dividend payout ratio of 21.89%.

Stock Repurchase Program

In December, Mastercard’s Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program, which allows the company to repurchase up to $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This move enables the firm to buy back as much as 2.5% of its stock during open market transactions, typically signifying that the management believes the stock is undervalued.

Analyst Price Targets

Recent evaluations from several equity research analysts have influenced Mastercard’s outlook. Citigroup raised their target price on Mastercard shares from $584.00 to $650.00 while giving the stock a "buy" rating. Similarly, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective from $618.00 to $665.00 with an "outperform" rating. In contrast, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded the stock from "strong-buy" to "hold." Susquehanna also upped their price target from $605.00 to $670.00, maintaining a "positive" rating. Furthermore, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded the stock from "neutral" to "buy," setting a target price of $640.00. Currently, four analysts have rated the stock as hold, while twenty-four have assigned it a buy rating, and two rated it as a strong buy. MarketBeat.com reports that Mastercard holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.11.

Institutional Investments

Recent activity among institutional investors showcases their ongoing commitment to Mastercard. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd increased its stake in the company by 2.3%, owning 2,805,554 shares valued at $1.39 billion after acquiring an additional 62,891 shares. Similarly, Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised their stake by 2.7%, now holding 368,690 shares worth $194.14 million. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. increased their holdings by 4.5%, owning 68,237 shares valued at $35.93 million. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings by 15.6%, now owning 2,510,756 shares worth approximately $1.33 billion. Lastly, Principal Financial Group Inc. enhanced its stake by 4.8%, now owning 3,031,915 shares valued at $1.5 billion. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds own about 97.28% of Mastercard's stock.

About Mastercard Incorporated

Mastercard Incorporated is a technology company that specializes in transaction processing and provides a range of payment-related products and services globally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services to cardholders, merchants, banks, digital partners, businesses, and government bodies, including solutions to enable credit issuers and various payment products and services, including prepaid options.

Miebach, Mastercard, Stock