Avalon Capital Management Sells 278 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Avalon Capital Management decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 850 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 278 shares during the period. Avalon Capital Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,885 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,937,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $451,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $144,000. RWA Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 230.4% in the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,719 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,572,000 after acquiring an additional 7,475 shares during the period. Finally, Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its stake in Mastercard by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,252 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $960,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $512.09.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $2.38 on Friday, reaching $466.44. 1,813,517 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,469,403. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $359.77 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $450.73 and a 200-day moving average of $458.54. The company has a market capitalization of $433.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.08, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,733,175 shares of company stock valued at $782,773,546 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.