Mizuho Securities USA LLC Reduces Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC has reduced its stake in Mastercard by 16.1%, now holding 65,209 shares valued at approximately $35.7 million, which accounts for 0.8% of its portfolio.
• Mastercard reported $4.15 EPS for the most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and showed a year-over-year revenue increase of 16.8% to $8.13 billion.
• The company recently announced a $0.76 quarterly dividend, representing an annualized payout of $3.04 and a dividend yield of 0.5%.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 16.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 65,209 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 12,479 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 0.8% of Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $35,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,508,636,000 after acquiring an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Mastercard by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $617,303,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $561,313,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 50,438.6% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $516,807,000 after acquiring an additional 979,518 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:MA traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $573.88. 2,593,766 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,825,981. The company has a fifty day moving average of $563.76 and a 200 day moving average of $553.84. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $454.89 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.70, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 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 business had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS 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 paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group boosted 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. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $615.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $178,049.04. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mastercard 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.