Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Investment House LLC

Investment House LLC trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,378 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,090 shares during the period. Investment House LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 661.5% in the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded down $5.21 during trading on Monday, reaching $457.21. 1,094,116 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,393,866. The stock has a market cap of $426.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $471.35 and a 200 day moving average of $436.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 22.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MA shares. Raymond James raised their target price on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. KeyCorp raised their price target on Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total value of $52,732,980.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 96,767,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,761,653,661.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 480,630 shares of company stock valued at $221,479,470. Insiders own 0.13% 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.