Baxter Bros Inc. Sells 408 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Baxter Bros Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,095 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 408 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 2.2% of Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 43,445.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,936,684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,252,525,000 after purchasing an additional 2,929,940 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Mastercard by 3,339.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 815,506 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $322,867,000 after buying an additional 791,799 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 1,746,342 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $691,394,000 after acquiring an additional 569,534 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 7,966,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,153,957,000 after acquiring an additional 515,481 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 30.4% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,839,088 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $728,113,000 after acquiring an additional 428,627 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA traded up $2.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $443.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,711,610 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,507,301. The business’s fifty day moving average is $469.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $437.74. The stock has a market cap of $413.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $493.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 quarter, insiders sold 583,088 shares of company stock valued at $266,873,978. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.