Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Bought by NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 1.1% of NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $39,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in Mastercard by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $25,921,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 138.4% during the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 5,676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,989,000 after purchasing an additional 3,295 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 49,094 shares of company stock worth $26,521,861. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $597.99 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $540.59 billion, a PE ratio of 40.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $576.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $558.80.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $630.89.

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.