Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Holdings Trimmed by MetLife Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Mastercard by 2.3%, selling 5,784 shares and holding 247,062 shares worth approximately $135.42 million.
• Several other hedge funds, including Ethos Financial Group LLC and Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC, increased their positions in Mastercard, demonstrating investor interest in the company.
• Mastercard recently reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue increasing 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

MetLife Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 247,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 5,784 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.7% of MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $135,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MA stock traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $592.88. 4,774,273 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,641,885. The firm has a market cap of $535.97 billion, a PE ratio of 39.98, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $465.59 and a 1 year high of $601.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $565.00 and a 200 day moving average of $556.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. The company's revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $617.93.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 56,269 shares of company stock valued at $30,634,699 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.