New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Decreases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 38,310 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.8% of New Mexico Educational Retirement Board's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board's holdings in Mastercard were worth $20,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was 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 approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Macquarie lowered their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

Mastercard Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of MA traded down $13.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $550.04. The stock had a trading volume of 3,221,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,666,716. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $568.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $547.76. 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 company has a market capitalization of $501.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

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.