Advisory Resource Group Acquires 92 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Advisory Resource Group increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,921 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the quarter. Advisory Resource Group’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $756,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. 74.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $414.74. 116,199 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,064,892. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $276.87 and a 12-month high of $418.60. The business’s 50-day moving average is $401.97 and its 200-day moving average is $381.97.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.05. The business 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 revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Mastercard from $463.00 to $488.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Mastercard from $435.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Mastercard from $440.00 to $443.00 in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $442.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $413.65, for a total transaction of $2,481,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,707 shares in the company, valued at $8,565,450.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.23, for a total value of $1,346,984.52. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 27,546 shares in the company, valued at $11,162,465.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $413.65, for a total value of $2,481,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,707 shares in the company, valued at $8,565,450.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 407,267 shares of company stock worth $161,485,243. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.