Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 1,014 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd reduced its stake in Mastercard by 0.7%, now holding 153,980 shares valued at $83.24 million, which constitutes about 1.2% of its investment portfolio.
• Mastercard reported $3.73 EPS for its recent quarter, exceeding estimates, with revenues of $7.25 billion reflecting a 14.2% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, translating to an annual yield of 0.54%, with a payout ratio of 21.32%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 153,980 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,014 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 1.2% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $83,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in 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 worth $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 1,929 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,016,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $612.90.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.2%

Mastercard stock traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $562.10. 1,197,842 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,806,154. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market cap of $512.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $439.59 and a 1-year high of $594.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $564.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $550.91.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by 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.