Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stake Reduced by Guardian Partners Inc.

Key Points

• Guardian Partners Inc. reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 1.9%, selling 431 shares, and now owns a total of 22,167 shares valued at approximately $11.75 million.
• Mastercard reported $4.15 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.05, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 16.8%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%.

Guardian Partners Inc. lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,167 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 431 shares during the period. Guardian Partners Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total transaction of $10,456,032.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at $18,330,922.26. The trade was a 36.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the sale, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 59,481 shares of company stock valued at $32,616,595. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded up $3.27 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $587.49. 1,948,132 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,229,058. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $465.59 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $531.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $573.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research 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 dividend of $0.76 per share. 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 payout ratio is 20.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $626.54.

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.