Paladin Wealth LLC Takes $450,000 Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 912 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $450,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 5,633.3% during the 3rd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 860 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,215 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 98,953 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $48,863,000 after buying an additional 8,529 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 16,872 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,331,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Martin Capital Advisors LLP lifted its stake in Mastercard by 0.4% in the third quarter. Martin Capital Advisors LLP now owns 9,528 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,705,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $502.26 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $502.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $480.78 and its 200 day moving average is $462.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $466.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $523.27.

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.