First County Bank CT Grows Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

First County Bank CT lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,823 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 60 shares during the quarter. First County Bank CT’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its position 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 during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.3 %

MA opened at $491.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $453.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $469.79 and its 200-day moving average is $461.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $501.80.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $513.70.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.