Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Bamco Inc. NY

Bamco Inc. NY lessened its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 118,214 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 542 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY's holdings in Mastercard were worth $62,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $7.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $566.11. 2,493,698 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,608,299. The stock has a market cap of $516.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.76, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The stock's fifty day moving average is $532.24 and its 200-day moving average is $532.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The business's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.31 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays increased their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.25.

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.