Level Four Advisory Services LLC Grows Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 19.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,957 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,119 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $747,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% during the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,409 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 5,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,897,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, MGO Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. MGO Private Wealth LLC now owns 867 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 74.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.00, for a total value of $1,379,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 17,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,294,455. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.00, for a total transaction of $1,379,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 17,577 shares in the company, valued at $7,294,455. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 10,838 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $394.38, for a total value of $4,274,290.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,166,426.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 407,267 shares of company stock valued at $161,485,243 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $416.30 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $400.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $380.70. The firm has a market cap of $392.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.02, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $276.87 and a twelve month high of $418.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.18 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.10% and a net margin of 43.37%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.56 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MA. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Mastercard from $433.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Barclays raised their target price on Mastercard from $437.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 24th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $442.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $440.96.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.