Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Albion Financial Group UT

Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 866 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 33 shares during the quarter. Albion Financial Group UT’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MA. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.8% in the first quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 22,900 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,028,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Naviter Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 9.7% in the first quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 6,377 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,071,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. Nvest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 10.6% in the first quarter. Nvest Financial LLC now owns 906 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CAP Partners LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 2.2% in the first quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.8 %

Mastercard stock opened at $448.18 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $450.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $453.63. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The stock has a market cap of $416.63 billion, a PE ratio of 35.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09. 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 results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. 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 currently 20.99%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 5,216 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $446.71, for a total value of $2,330,039.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,782,397.93. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock worth $1,428,540,870. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.91.

Mastercard Company Profile

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.