Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by S.A. Mason LLC

S.A. Mason LLC decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 74 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 1.4% of S.A. Mason LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bollard Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $29,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $38,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $477.95 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $463.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $426.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock has a market cap of $445.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $352.80 and a 12 month high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $11.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was 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 approximately $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MA. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Monness Crespi & Hardt started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $479.62.

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.