Capital Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Capital Investment Counsel LLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,477 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 440 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.3% of Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $571.51 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $579.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $566.75. The company has a market cap of $516.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.54, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.97. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.50%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total value of $10,456,032.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at $18,330,922.26. This represents a 36.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $638.96.

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.