Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Sells 1,404 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,345 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,404 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.4% of Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $35,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $640.00 price target on the stock. Macquarie dropped their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.9%

Mastercard stock traded up $5.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $566.53. 1,528,739 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,670,606. The business's 50 day moving average is $566.83 and its 200 day moving average is $546.84. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $516.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total value of $173,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,669,203. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,441 shares of company stock valued at $20,173,035 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.09% 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.