Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Boosted by Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.

Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 357.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,212 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,292 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded down $3.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $552.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,579,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,666,094. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $503.74 billion, a PE ratio of 38.75, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $567.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $548.26.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $612.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.