Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Equitable Trust Co.

Key Points

• Equitable Trust Co. reduced its stake in Mastercard by 2.0%, selling 749 shares, leaving it with 37,280 shares worth approximately $20.43 million.
• Analysts remain bullish on Mastercard, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $612.90.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76, resulting in an annualized dividend of $3.04 and a yield of 0.54%.

Equitable Trust Co. reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,280 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 749 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.1% of Equitable Trust Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Equitable Trust Co.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $20,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accredited Investors Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 911 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE MA traded down $1.21 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $567.07. 860,709 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,806,602. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $517.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $565.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $550.83. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $439.59 and a 12-month high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of Mastercard 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. 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. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $612.90.

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.