Moran Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Moran Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,536 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,234 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on MA shares. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of MA traded up $15.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $557.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,501,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,843,687. The company's 50 day moving average is $560.33 and its 200 day moving average is $544.91. The stock has a market cap of $508.45 billion, a PE ratio of 39.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.05. 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.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,890 shares of company stock worth $27,003,492 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.