Ethic Inc. Sells 1,892 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. reduced its stake in Mastercard by 2.1%, selling 1,892 shares and owning 88,952 shares worth approximately $48.95 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Mastercard recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%, and a payout ratio of 20.5%.
• Research analysts have a consensus "Buy" rating on Mastercard, with a target price of $634.93, reflecting confidence in the company's growth following strong quarterly earnings results.

Ethic Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,952 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,892 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.9% of Ethic Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $48,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Accredited Investors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% in the first quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the first quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% during the second quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,848 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% in the second quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,272 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Financial LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Nvest Financial LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $570.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $515.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.43, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.97. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $580.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $564.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $669.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $634.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total value of $10,202,433.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,294. This trade represents a 35.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.