Demars Financial Group LLC Sells 184 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Demars Financial Group LLC decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,998 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 184 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 0.5% of Demars Financial Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Demars Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $852,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 109.2% in the third quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,186 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $865,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Essex LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 80.9% in the third quarter. Essex LLC now owns 2,489 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 18.6% in the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,343,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 3.9% during the third quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,254 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montecito Bank & Trust grew its stake in Mastercard by 6.3% during the third quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 3,115 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $466.20 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The stock has a market cap of $434.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.11, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $471.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $435.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders 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 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 257,630 shares of company stock valued at $118,303,470 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.