Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Clarius Group LLC

Clarius Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,300 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 91 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related 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 transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the transaction, 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 at this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price for the company. Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.96.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $499.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $359.77 and a 12-month high of $501.80. The company has a market capitalization of $461.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $479.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $462.90.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released 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. 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. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.18%.

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.