Whalen Wealth Management Inc. Takes $1.07 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,902 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,069,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $565.79 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $578.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $567.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market cap of $511.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total transaction of $10,202,433.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,294. This trade represents a 35.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.