Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Sells 57,255 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 99.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 416 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 57,255 shares during the quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whalerock Point Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 14,678 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,729,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Fortis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 36.4% during the 1st quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 693 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,766,000 after purchasing an additional 1,047 shares during the period. Finally, Baldwin Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $911,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $3.83 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $565.41. 2,478,283 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,669,838. 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 stock has a market cap of $515.49 billion, a PE ratio of 39.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. The company's fifty day moving average is $567.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $547.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. On average, analysts expect 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 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 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Macquarie cut their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp upped their target price on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.50.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total value of $173,910.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,669,203. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 38,441 shares of company stock worth $20,173,035. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.