659 Shares in Mastercard Incorporated $MA Acquired by Calton & Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Calton & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard, purchasing 659 shares worth approximately $361,000 in the first quarter.
• Mastercard's CFO recently sold 17,816 shares for over $10.4 million, representing a significant decrease of 36.32% in his holdings.
• Mastercard reported better-than-expected earnings with a net margin of 44.93% and revenue up 16.8% year-over-year, totaling $8.13 billion in the latest quarter.

Calton & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 659 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MA stock traded up $1.59 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $594.87. 1,653,726 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,779,682. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $465.59 and a 1 year high of $601.77. The company's 50 day moving average is $570.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $557.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm has a market cap of $537.77 billion, a PE ratio of 40.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 20.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $626.54.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the company'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 owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total value of $10,456,032.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,330,922.26. This represents a 36.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 59,481 shares of company stock worth $32,616,595. Company 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.