Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC Lowers Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 22 shares during the period. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Provident Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 9.2% during the third quarter. Provident Wealth Management LLC now owns 509 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co boosted its stake in Mastercard by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 2,019 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $997,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Transform Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% during the third quarter. Transform Wealth LLC now owns 15,083 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,448,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 20,576 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,160,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MA opened at $514.07 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $484.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $463.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $477.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $359.77 and a 12-month high of $515.40.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Compass Point initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $524.64.

About Mastercard

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.