Farallon Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Farallon Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 41.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 295,671 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 211,000 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $155,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.2%

MA stock traded up $1.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $568.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,527,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,608,735. The company has a market cap of $518.20 billion, a PE ratio of 40.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $532.17 and its 200-day moving average is $533.39.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The company's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $635.00 price target (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie cut their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price objective (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six research 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, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.25.

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.