Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is Brown Advisory Inc.'s 6th Largest Position

Brown Advisory Inc. lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,182,615 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 288,454 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 2.5% of Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Brown Advisory Inc. owned about 0.35% of Mastercard worth $1,744,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 51.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,954 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,540,000. Finally, Taika Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $384,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Truist Financial started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $640.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $565.41 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $515.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week 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 50 day moving average of $567.45 and a 200 day moving average of $547.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during 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%. Mastercard's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,669,203. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,441 shares of company stock valued at $20,173,035. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.