Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by CCLA Investment Management

Key Points

• CCLA Investment Management reduced its stake in Mastercard by 11.3%, holding 229,354 shares valued at approximately $125.7 million after selling 29,299 shares in the first quarter.
• Despite some decreases in insider positions, analysts remain largely positive, with UBS Group raising their target price to $670 and maintaining a "buy" rating.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.5%, with a payout ratio of 21.32%.

CCLA Investment Management reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229,354 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 29,299 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 2.2% of CCLA Investment Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. CCLA Investment Management's holdings in Mastercard were worth $125,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 2.9% during 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 3.6% in the first quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on MA shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Macquarie dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $559.73 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $439.59 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The stock has a market cap of $510.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The business's fifty day moving average is $564.58 and its 200 day moving average is $551.95.

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, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.50 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is 21.32%.

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.

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