Somerville Kurt F Trims Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Somerville Kurt F cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,336 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 4.4% of Somerville Kurt F’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Somerville Kurt F’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $26,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $579.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $465.59 and a twelve month high of $601.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $580.78 and its 200-day moving average is $562.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $523.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.06, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.97.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The company had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total transaction of $10,456,032.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,330,922.26. This represents a 36.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MA shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $634.04.

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.