Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by First Financial Bankshares Inc

First Financial Bankshares Inc lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,965 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,652 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $34,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price target (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the 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 approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded down $1.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $535.14. The company had a trading volume of 5,973,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,376,248. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $487.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $547.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $524.65.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.