Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 57.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 526 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 700 shares during the quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 46.4% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,785 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,120,000 after acquiring an additional 4,685 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 1,694 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $816,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Centric Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Centric Wealth Management now owns 10,469 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,724,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Source Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Source Financial Advisors LLC now owns 920 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 524.6% during the first quarter. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. now owns 4,041 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,946,000 after buying an additional 3,394 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock opened at $499.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $461.07 billion, a PE ratio of 38.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $494.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $466.50. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $373.11 and a 12-month high of $527.90. 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 (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 92,033,308 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.68.

Mastercard 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.