Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Holdings Decreased by Carderock Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Carderock Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in Mastercard by 3.8% in Q1, now owning 23,018 shares worth $12.6 million, which remains its largest holding.
• Analysts continue to support Mastercard's stock, with 24 giving it a Buy rating and a consensus price target of $626.54, despite some adjusting their targets lower.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76, yielding 0.5%, with a dividend payout ratio of 20.50% as of its most recent filing.

Carderock Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,018 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 899 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 3.3% of Carderock Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Carderock Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 7,610,333 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,007,373,000 after buying an additional 71,874 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $626.54.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $580.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $465.59 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $573.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $558.03. The company has a market capitalization of $524.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during 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%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,053 shares of company stock valued at $27,071,234. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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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