CENTRAL TRUST Co Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

CENTRAL TRUST Co lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,159 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,835 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $19,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Nvest Financial LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Nvest Financial LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $846,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 5.6% during the second quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 13.0% in the second quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Robbins Farley increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% during the third quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 841 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $527.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $473.83 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $554.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $563.50.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.52. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.The firm had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Citigroup upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $739.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Macquarie Infrastructure boosted their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $685.00 to $655.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $669.27.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.