BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Sells 15,255 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 225,596 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 15,255 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.8% of BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $123,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $598.1480 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $461.90 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $564.03 and a 200 day moving average of $555.73. The company has a market capitalization of $540.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.33, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on MA shares. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $617.93.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% 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. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,269 shares of company stock valued at $30,634,699. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard 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.