Nicolet Bankshares Inc. Sells 564 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Nicolet Bankshares Inc. decreased its stake in Mastercard by 7.7%, selling 564 shares and now holds a total of 6,808 shares valued at approximately $3.73 million.
• Mastercard's CFO sold 17,816 shares for over $10 million, marking a 36.32% reduction in his holdings, while insiders collectively sold over 56,269 shares in the last quarter.
• According to analyst ratings, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $617.93 following recent upgrades from various research firms.

Nicolet Bankshares Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,808 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 564 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.7% of Nicolet Bankshares Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Nicolet Bankshares Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $590.77. 2,159,735 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,693,292. The company has a market capitalization of $534.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.84, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $465.59 and a 12-month high of $601.77. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $567.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $556.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The business's revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.50%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 56,269 shares of company stock valued at $30,634,699. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $617.93.

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.