Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Position Trimmed by Value Partners Investments Inc.

Value Partners Investments Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 32.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,363 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,602 shares during the quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,108,000 after buying an additional 7,452 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 2,669 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,406,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. now owns 470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FFT Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,733 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,439,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $550.02 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $561.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $545.04. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $501.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MA. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Macquarie decreased their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $610.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,115 shares of company stock worth $18,324,718 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.