Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Boston Research & Management Inc.

Boston Research & Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,337 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 2.8% of Boston Research & Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Boston Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Summit Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 11,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,863,000 after acquiring an additional 1,665 shares during the period. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1,100.0% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 600 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its position in Mastercard by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 11,335 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,969,000 after buying an additional 2,055 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 493.5% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 70,591 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,171,000 after buying an additional 58,697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AIA Group Ltd grew its stake in Mastercard by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 30,848 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,244,000 after buying an additional 2,838 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $540.57 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $492.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.92, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $550.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $527.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.