Heritage Investors Management Corp Reduces Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Heritage Investors Management Corp trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 133,400 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,145 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 2.5% of Heritage Investors Management Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Heritage Investors Management Corp's holdings in Mastercard were worth $73,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 911 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 1.8% during the first quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. 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 buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 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 buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Evercore ISI started 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. Finally, 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 target price on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $612.90.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA traded up $1.58 on Wednesday, reaching $560.34. 962,868 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,656,655. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $567.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $548.77. The stock has a market cap of $510.86 billion, a PE ratio of 39.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.