Kovack Advisors Inc. Sells 157 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Kovack Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,811 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 157 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,595,559,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 43,445.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,936,684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,252,525,000 after acquiring an additional 2,929,940 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,096,470,000 after purchasing an additional 742,076 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,974,478,000 after purchasing an additional 676,452 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,608,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,803,956,000 after purchasing an additional 605,909 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total transaction of $134,169.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,817,095.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE MA opened at $448.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $450.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $453.59. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $359.77 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $416.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.63, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. TD Cowen began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.91.

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.