First Financial Corp IN Sells 301 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

First Financial Corp IN cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 24.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 914 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 301 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $440,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 1,637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 734,881 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $353,897,000 after purchasing an additional 15,756 shares during the period. Von Berge Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth about $229,000. Fermata Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $245,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co grew its holdings in Mastercard by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $364,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of MA traded down $2.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $453.48. 790,140 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,426,688. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $421.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.95, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $452.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $452.78. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $359.77 and a 1 year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total value of $68,335,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,930,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,413,260,885.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total value of $68,335,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,930,308 shares in the company, valued at $43,413,260,885.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total transaction of $136,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,572,202. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,025,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,366,000,650. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.