Larson Financial Group LLC Has $400,000 Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Larson Financial Group LLC cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 210 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $400,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 661.5% during the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $462.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $471.71 and a 200-day moving average of $435.26. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The company has a market capitalization of $431.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 257,630 shares of company stock worth $118,303,470 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MA. Raymond James upped their price target on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $490.23.

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.