Greenleaf Trust Purchases 739 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,812 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 739 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 62.5% during the fourth 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 bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $1.91 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $563.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 869,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,850,924. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $568.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $547.33. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $513.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective 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. Seven research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Company 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.