Roble Belko & Company Inc Decreases Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Roble Belko & Company Inc reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 6.5%, owning 6,849 shares valued at approximately $3.75 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Strong institutional interest was noted, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its position by 65,631.5%, now holding over 8 million shares worth approximately $4.5 billion.
• Mastercard's latest earnings report showed a 14.2% year-over-year revenue increase, with an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.73, surpassing estimates by $0.16.

Roble Belko & Company Inc reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 480 shares during the quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded down $8.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $557.68. 497,728 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,812,396. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $508.44 billion, a PE ratio of 39.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $439.59 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $564.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $551.39.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $613.73.

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.