SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Sells 45 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,713 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bornite Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $21,442,000. United Bank increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 34.5% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 6,007 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 272,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $97,335,000 after purchasing an additional 63,040 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $1,168,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $12,926,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MA. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $476.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $479.62.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8 %

Mastercard stock traded up $3.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $481.57. 2,214,542 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,325,334. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $464.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $426.46. The firm has a market cap of $449.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $355.82 and a 1 year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 5th that permits the company to repurchase $11.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 8,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $430.26, for a total value of $3,829,314.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,003,217.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 8,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $430.26, for a total transaction of $3,829,314.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,003,217.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,628 shares of company stock valued at $23,309,067. Insiders own 0.13% 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.