Gotham Asset Management LLC Sells 1,479 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Gotham Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Mastercard by 4.9%, owning 28,423 shares valued at approximately $15.58 million.
• In the latest quarter, several institutional investors increased their holdings in Mastercard, with 97.28% of shares owned by institutional investors overall.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 20.50%.

Gotham Asset Management LLC cut its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,423 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,479 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Accredited Investors Inc. increased its position 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 worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% in the first quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% in the first quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% in the first quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $2.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $584.59. 2,264,812 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,769,777. The firm has a market capitalization of $528.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $465.59 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The business's fifty day moving average is $573.10 and its 200-day moving average is $557.69.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 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 company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MA. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $645.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $626.54.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 59,481 shares of company stock worth $32,616,595. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.