Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC

Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 15.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,787 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 519 shares during the period. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th 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 stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,669,203. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 38,441 shares of company stock worth $20,173,035. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MA stock traded down $3.83 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $565.41. 2,478,283 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,669,836. The firm has a market cap of $515.49 billion, a PE ratio of 39.65, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $594.71. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $566.83 and a 200 day moving average of $546.84.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

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.