Auxier Asset Management Sells 300 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Auxier Asset Management lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,526 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 2.7% of Auxier Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $16,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $512.08.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 605,124 shares of company stock worth $280,045,189. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of MA opened at $492.63 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $359.77 and a fifty-two week high of $501.80. The company’s fifty day moving average is $466.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $461.15. The firm has a market cap of $457.96 billion, a PE ratio of 39.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

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.