Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 132,140 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 8,239 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 2.6% of Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $65,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 55.0% in the 1st quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 93 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MA shares. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $540.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the 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 directly owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. 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 can be accessed through this link. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total transaction of $42,192,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 91,649,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,965,195,590.40. The trade was 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 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 327,370 shares of company stock worth $153,495,958. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $505.53 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $497.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $467.65. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $384.20 and a 52 week high of $527.90. The company has a market capitalization of $467.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.39 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

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.