Vest Financial LLC Has $17.88 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC has increased its holdings in Mastercard by 16.0%, owning 31,821 shares worth approximately $17.88 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Mastercard's CFO sold 17,816 shares for over $10.45 million, reducing his position by 36.32%, while institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.
• Analysts have positive forecasts for Mastercard, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and a target price averaging around $634.04.

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 16.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,821 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,392 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total value of $10,456,032.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,330,922.26. This trade represents a 36.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $634.04.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock opened at $558.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $580.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $563.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $465.59 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm has a market cap of $505.24 billion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.97.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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