Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd.

Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd. reduced its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,706 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 261 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 1.7% of Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,058,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Prospect Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $243,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,751 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $986,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Napean Trading & Investment Co Singapore PTE Ltd purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,653,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $543.82 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $495.81 billion, a PE ratio of 39.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50 day moving average is $548.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $525.42. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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.