Aviance Capital Partners LLC Raises Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 83.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,411 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,750 shares during the quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% in the first quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 1,637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $788,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 484 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Benin Management CORP grew its holdings in Mastercard by 3.0% in the first quarter. Benin Management CORP now owns 794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.3% in the first quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $835,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total transaction of $136,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,202. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,163,228 shares of company stock worth $1,428,540,870 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $496.91.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $2.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $439.09. The stock had a trading volume of 442,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,444,629. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $451.50 and its 200 day moving average is $453.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $408.18 billion, a PE ratio of 35.07, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $359.77 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

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.