Certuity LLC Sells 265 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Certuity LLC lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,966 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 265 shares during the quarter. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $211,000. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 825 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $578.08 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $563.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $554.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $456.07 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $522.59 billion, a PE ratio of 38.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $615.33.

About Mastercard

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.