Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Avenir Corp

Key Points

• Avenir Corp has reduced its stake in Mastercard by 0.7%, now holding 65,700 shares valued at approximately $36 million, indicating a slight adjustment in their investment strategy.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly EPS of $4.15, surpassing estimates, and achieved revenue of $8.13 billion, reflecting a 16.8% year-over-year growth.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Mastercard, with Wells Fargo increasing theirs from $625 to $650, indicating strong confidence in the company’s future performance.

Avenir Corp trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,700 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 472 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 3.8% of Avenir Corp's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Avenir Corp's holdings in Mastercard were worth $36,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Accredited Investors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $592.88 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $565.00 and a 200-day moving average of $556.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $535.97 billion, a PE ratio of 39.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $465.59 and a 1-year high of $601.77.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,196,757.55. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,269 shares of company stock valued at $30,634,699. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $617.93.

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.

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