Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Decreases Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,296 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 661.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares in the company, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 148,630 shares of company stock valued at $68,440,330. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.2 %

MA stock traded up $1.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $456.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 474,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,382,159. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $357.85 and a 52-week high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $425.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $471.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $434.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.65 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

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.