NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Acquires 1,955 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,851 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,955 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.0% of NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $33,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 17.4% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 11,615 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,735,000 after acquiring an additional 1,722 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 231,643 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $114,385,000 after purchasing an additional 17,900 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Mastercard by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 97,507 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $44,831,000 after purchasing an additional 5,357 shares during the period. Lyell Wealth Management LP increased its stake in Mastercard by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 15,063 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mayfair Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 18.7% during the third quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC now owns 750 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MA. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Mastercard from $570.00 to $593.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. William Blair upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.68.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of MA traded down $3.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $507.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,582,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,942. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $518.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $491.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $465.44. The stock has a market cap of $471.65 billion, a PE ratio of 40.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Mastercard Company 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.