Cypress Capital Group Sells 920 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Cypress Capital Group reduced its stake in Mastercard by 4.8%, selling 920 shares, which now represent about 1.3% of its investment portfolio worth nearly $10 million.
• Several large investors have increased their holdings in Mastercard, with notable increases including Canandaigua National Trust Co raising their position by 36.4% during the same quarter.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 0.5% with a payout ratio of 20.50%.

Cypress Capital Group trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,232 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 920 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 1.3% of Cypress Capital Group's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Cypress Capital Group's holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,108,000 after buying an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $3,915,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective 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. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $615.33.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $573.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,593,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,583,637. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $454.89 and a 12-month high of $594.71. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $563.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $553.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $518.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.70, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%. The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Mastercard Company 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.