Financial Security Advisor Inc. Makes New $204,000 Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Financial Security Advisor Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 423 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in 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. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.6 %

MA stock traded up $7.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $444.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,036,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,463,071. The company has a market cap of $413.35 billion, a PE ratio of 35.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $359.77 and a 12 month high of $490.00. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $451.12 and its 200-day moving average is $453.44.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $496.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total transaction of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total value of $136,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,202. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock worth $1,428,540,870. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.