Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Golden State Equity Partners

Golden State Equity Partners lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,766 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 995 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners’ holdings in Mastercard were worth $872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $4.60 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $510.88. 174,418 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,415,327. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $493.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $465.94. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $373.11 and a twelve month high of $518.82. The stock has a market cap of $471.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.71, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.18%.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,113,923,465.68. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total value of $55,746,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,033,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MA. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BNP Paribas lowered Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America upped their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.68.

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.