Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Main Street Research LLC

Main Street Research LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 20.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 680 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the quarter. Main Street Research LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Founders Financial Alliance LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 911 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 1.8% in the first quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Macquarie lowered their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $611.50.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MA stock traded up $1.52 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $563.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 259,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,665,549. The company has a market cap of $513.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $567.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $547.21. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.31 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

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.