Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stake Trimmed by Phoenix Financial Ltd.

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 29.9%, selling 17,577 shares, which brings their total ownership to 41,160 shares valued at approximately $22.6 million.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly earnings of $3.73 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.57, with a revenue of $7.25 billion, marking a 14.2% increase from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for July 9th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 0.54%.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 29.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,160 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 17,577 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $22,597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in the 4th 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. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,751 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $986,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $612.90.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director directly 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded down $1.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $567.09. 860,709 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,806,602. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $565.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $550.83. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $439.59 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The stock has a market cap of $517.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm 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 posted $3.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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