American Trust Lowers Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

American Trust decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,805 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 178 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $517.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE MA opened at $496.19 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $472.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $462.01. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $359.77 and a one year high of $501.80. The company has a market capitalization of $461.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 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.