Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC Buys 1,786 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 43.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares during the quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $565.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $508.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.18, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $553.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $566.13. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $465.59 and a 12-month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.53 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 202.03% and a net margin of 45.28%.Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.89 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $713.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $657.48.

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.