Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Reduces Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Generali Investments reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 17.1%, trimming its position to 4,200 shares valued at approximately $2.3 million, which now represents 1.5% of its investment portfolio.
• Insider sales were notable, with Craig Vosburg selling over 14,000 shares and Raj Seshadri selling 1,100 shares, indicating a decrease in insider ownership.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Mastercard, with 25 analysts suggesting a buy and setting an average price target of $615.33.

Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 17.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,200 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 865 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.5% of Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych's holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE MA opened at $559.73 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $564.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $551.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $439.59 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $510.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend 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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