Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 1,212 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 265.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,668 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,212 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $914,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $6.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $552.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,836,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,661,414. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The company has a market cap of $503.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50-day moving average is $563.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $545.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 949 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $535.80, for a total transaction of $508,474.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,512,451.80. This represents a 6.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total transaction of $87,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,887,900. This trade represents a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,383 shares of company stock worth $19,035,108. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.