Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,439 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 702 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.7% of Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $23,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 8.3% in the second quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 44,571 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $24,999,000 after purchasing an additional 3,411 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 11.7% in the second quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 2,255 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,267,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.0% in the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,322,367 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $736,889,000 after purchasing an additional 12,641 shares during the period. Journey Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 11.2% in the second quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,243 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,822,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.2% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 20,059 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,272,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.0%

MA opened at $566.35 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $580.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $564.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $465.59 and a one year high of $601.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $511.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.97.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.50%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total transaction of $10,202,433.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,294. The trade was a 35.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $634.04.

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.