Modera Wealth Management LLC Has $7.55 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated by 30.7%, acquiring an additional 3,232 shares, bringing their total holdings to 13,767 shares valued at approximately $7.5 million.
• Insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares for over $8.2 million, resulting in a 19.38% decrease in his ownership, while total insider sales over the last ninety days reached approximately $20.4 million.
• Despite recent fluctuations, Mastercard has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with price targets ranging from $550 to $652.

Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 30.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,767 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,232 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its holdings in Mastercard by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,108,000 after acquiring an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $265,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $6.74 on Friday, reaching $559.73. 3,316,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,427,760. The firm's 50 day moving average is $564.58 and its 200-day moving average is $551.75. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $439.59 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $510.31 billion, a PE ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,624 shares in the company, valued at $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.