Bfsg LLC Has $5.47 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bfsg LLC reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,071 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,429 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. 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 owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE MA opened at $514.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $477.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $515.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $484.54 and a 200-day moving average of $463.60.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. William Blair raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $524.64.

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.