Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Trimmed by First Foundation Advisors

Key Points

• First Foundation Advisors reduced its stake in Mastercard by 6.9%, owning 44,076 shares valued at $24.16 million, making it the firm's 23rd largest position.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for July 9th, representing a yield of 0.53%.
• Recent analyses from various brokerages indicate a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating for Mastercard, with price targets ranging from $612.00 to $655.00.

First Foundation Advisors reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,076 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,279 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 1.0% of First Foundation Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. First Foundation Advisors' holdings in Mastercard were worth $24,159,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,508,636,000 after buying an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $617,303,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $561,313,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 50,438.6% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $516,807,000 after purchasing an additional 979,518 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA traded down $3.59 on Wednesday, hitting $559.73. 2,825,342 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,259,239. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $439.59 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $564.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $550.91. 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 capitalization of $510.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MA. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $612.90.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Mastercard 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.