Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Reduced by Solidarity Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Solidarity Wealth LLC sold 5,006 shares of Mastercard, reducing its stake by 22.9%, now owning a total of 16,871 shares valued at approximately $9.25 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Accredited Investors Inc. and Wealthstream Advisors Inc., have increased their holdings in Mastercard, with institutional and hedge fund ownership reaching 97.28% of the company's stock.
• Mastercard reported a strong quarterly earnings result, with an EPS of $3.73, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.54%.

Solidarity Wealth LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 22.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,871 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 5,006 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 2.3% of Solidarity Wealth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Solidarity Wealth LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Mastercard by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,940,081 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,021,588,000 after buying an additional 264,094 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $15.49 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $574.60. 2,204,919 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,813,189. The stock has a market capitalization of $523.87 billion, a PE ratio of 40.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business's fifty day moving average price is $564.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $550.97. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $439.59 and a 52-week high of $594.71.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. 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 report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $612.90.

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.