Allium Financial Advisors LLC Invests $353,000 in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Allium Financial Advisors LLC made a new investment in Mastercard, acquiring 644 shares valued at approximately $353,000.
• Corporate insiders sold 38,753 shares of Mastercard stock in the last quarter, totaling over $20 million in value.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76, with the payment scheduled for August 8th, reflecting a 0.54% dividend yield.

Allium Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 644 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $353,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,508,636,000 after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $617,303,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $561,313,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 50,438.6% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $516,807,000 after acquiring an additional 979,518 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $612.90.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.3%

MA traded down $1.90 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $561.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,320,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,806,883. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business's 50-day moving average is $564.93 and its 200-day moving average is $550.91. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $439.59 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The stock has a market cap of $511.85 billion, a PE ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. Mastercard's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Mastercard

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.