Choreo LLC Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Choreo LLC decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,642 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,338 shares during the period. Choreo LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $612.90.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA traded up $3.53 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $558.18. The company had a trading volume of 459,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,655,103. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $508.90 billion, a PE ratio of 39.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $567.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $548.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

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.

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