Great Lakes Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 29.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,435 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 17,106 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on MA shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Compass Point assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $510.88.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 3,464 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.84, for a total transaction of $1,551,317.76. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,151,530.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,167,931 shares of company stock worth $531,284,982 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $476.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $442.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.85, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $456.26 and a 200-day moving average of $459.65.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Mastercard 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.