Peloton Wealth Strategists Sells 895 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Peloton Wealth Strategists reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 5.3%, owning 15,847 shares valued at approximately $8.69 million, which makes it their second-largest position in their portfolio.
• Several hedge funds increased their stakes in Mastercard during the 4th quarter, with Brighton Jones LLC raising its holdings by 42.3% to own over $3.59 million worth of shares.
• Mastercard's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $4.15, surpassing estimates and representing a 16.8% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Peloton Wealth Strategists lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,847 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 895 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 3.6% of Peloton Wealth Strategists' portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Peloton Wealth Strategists' holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total transaction of $10,456,032.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,330,922.26. This trade represents a 36.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 23,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 49,094 shares of company stock worth $26,521,861 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MA. UBS Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $626.54.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $7.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $580.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,242,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,201,603. The stock has a market cap of $525.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.16, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.99. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $574.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $558.35.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

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.