Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,494 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,202 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 0.8% of Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $45,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 46.4% during the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,785 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,120,000 after purchasing an additional 4,685 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $2,938,000. Allegheny Financial Group LTD acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $209,000. Choate Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 32.4% in the 1st quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 30,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,447,000 after purchasing an additional 7,334 shares during the period. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 7,477 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,601,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.3 %

MA stock traded up $6.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $524.76. 2,215,681 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,508,209. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $386.74 and a one year high of $528.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $499.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $468.84. The company has a market cap of $481.64 billion, a PE ratio of 39.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 19.97%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. 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 90 days, insiders sold 327,370 shares of company stock valued at $153,495,958. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MA shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $544.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $540.17.

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.