Nikulski Financial Inc. Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Nikulski Financial Inc. cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,929 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 25 shares during the quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $570.00 to $593.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Compass Point started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.68.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA traded up $4.88 on Thursday, hitting $518.57. 435,297 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,419,907. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $494.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $466.27. The stock has a market cap of $479.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $373.11 and a fifty-two week high of $527.54.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The business 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.18%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.