Callahan Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Callahan Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,307 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 1.4% of Callahan Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Callahan Advisors LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Whalerock Point Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 14,678 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,729,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% in the first quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 36.4% in the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 693 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 18.0% in the first quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,766,000 after purchasing an additional 1,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baldwin Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $911,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $13.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $550.04. 3,221,317 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,666,632. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $568.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $547.57. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $594.71. The firm has a market cap of $501.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the sale, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Macquarie dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

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.