Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stake Cut by Balefire LLC

Balefire LLC cut its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 60.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,194 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,813 shares during the quarter. Balefire LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 65,631.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,508,636,000 after buying an additional 8,213,123 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after buying an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Mastercard by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 35,115 shares of company stock valued at $18,324,718. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.3%

MA stock opened at $550.02 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The company has a market cap of $501.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $561.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $545.04.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $610.00.

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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