GSG Advisors LLC Buys 46 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GSG Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 687 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. GSG Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 484 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,996 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $851,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 1,037 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 598 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $2.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $454.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,062,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,114,539. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $452.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $451.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $422.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MA. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $497.78.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total value of $134,169.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,817,095.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 5,216 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.71, for a total transaction of $2,330,039.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,782,397.93. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total transaction of $134,169.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,817,095.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,774,200 shares of company stock valued at $1,251,670,450. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.