Mastercard Incorporated $MA is Fruth Investment Management’s 3rd Largest Position

Fruth Investment Management reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,976 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 3.2% of Fruth Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 14.9% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 386 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 26.9% during the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $304,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $321,342,000. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% in the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 6,736 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,692,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 49,094 shares of company stock valued at $26,521,861 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $589.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $574.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $558.24. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $465.59 and a fifty-two week high of $601.77. The firm has a market cap of $532.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.99.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $626.54.

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.