Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Sells 1,275 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 133,917 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,275 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.1% of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $59,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 8.6% during the second quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,627 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,453,000 after buying an additional 1,158 shares during the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.5% during the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,243 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Frisch Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% during the second quarter. Frisch Financial Group Inc. now owns 793 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,155,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $501.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $462.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $460.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.84, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $359.77 and a fifty-two week high of $501.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during 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, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.06, for a total value of $4,072,169.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,585,476.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.06, for a total value of $4,072,169.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,585,476.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 725,152 shares of company stock worth $334,186,128 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MA. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Argus upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $512.08.

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.