Archer Investment Corp Has $1.59 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,737 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several research reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $485.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $459.43. 979,799 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,401,387. The firm has a market capitalization of $428.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.84, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $471.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $433.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

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.