Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 15.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 66,496 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 12,018 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.5% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Mastercard were worth $36,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategy Asset Managers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 911 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $611.50.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,669,203. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,383 shares of company stock valued at $19,035,108. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $546.71 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $562.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $545.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. 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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