Wealth Alliance Reduces Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Wealth Alliance reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,746 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 46 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 87.4% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 536 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 49,539 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $21,129,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 23.9% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 12,124 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,337 shares during the last quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,853 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,350,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 42,752 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $18,041,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $1.95 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $461.74. 1,030,842 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,410,389. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $357.85 and a 12-month high of $490.00. The firm has a market cap of $430.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $471.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $432.58.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 earned $2.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several recent research reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target for the company. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $485.91.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total transaction of $43,072.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,728 shares of company stock worth $19,479,753. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.