Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stake Lessened by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 43.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,437 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,398 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,191,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 20,552 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,897,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $608,000. SteelPeak Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 48.6% in the second quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 4,928 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,174,000 after buying an additional 1,612 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $2,938,000. Finally, OMC Financial Services LTD bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $17,854,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total value of $50,952,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $507.36 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $359.77 and a fifty-two week high of $518.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $491.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $465.39. The firm has a market cap of $471.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 target price for the company. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.68.

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.