Echo45 Advisors LLC Grows Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Echo45 Advisors LLC raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 29.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 908 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.3% of Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $437,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Little House Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 11,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202 shares during the last quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC now owns 638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $202,000. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in Mastercard by 19.2% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 29,620 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $14,264,000 after buying an additional 4,779 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 83.9% in the 1st quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,411 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,014,000 after acquiring an additional 4,750 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total transaction of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 58,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,362,683.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total transaction of $4,038,043.84. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $4.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $436.82. 1,985,645 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,456,974. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $451.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $453.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $406.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $359.77 and a twelve month high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays cut their target price on Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, May 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $531.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho reduced their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $496.91.

Mastercard 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.