Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Lessened by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,906 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,036 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.3% of Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% during the third 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. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 55.0% during the first quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 93 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $521.13 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $481.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $498.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $468.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $384.30 and a 52 week high of $527.90.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Macquarie raised their target price on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Compass Point initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $540.17.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total value of $50,952,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total value of $50,952,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 327,370 shares of company stock valued at $153,495,958 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.