Marion Wealth Management Increases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Marion Wealth Management lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,498 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the quarter. Marion Wealth Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 107,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.98, for a total transaction of $47,719,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,891,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,427,665,541.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total transaction of $4,038,043.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 107,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.98, for a total value of $47,719,860.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,891,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,427,665,541.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,774,200 shares of company stock worth $1,251,670,450. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $450.11 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $452.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $451.24. The stock has a market cap of $418.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.78, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays reduced their target price on Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $531.00 target price for the company. Mizuho reduced their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $497.78.

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.