Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Reduced by LGT Group Foundation

LGT Group Foundation reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,388 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,038 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 2.1% of LGT Group Foundation’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $93,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 467,088 shares of company stock worth $215,249,338. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.14.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded down $1.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $440.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,198,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,423,557. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $357.85 and a 12-month high of $490.00. The stock has a market cap of $410.90 billion, a PE ratio of 37.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $470.78 and a 200 day moving average of $437.42. 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 (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

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.