Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,641,741 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 159,861 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.8% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.29% of Mastercard worth $1,447,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its stake in Mastercard by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 525,676 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $276,805,000 after purchasing an additional 8,477 shares during the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors increased its stake in Mastercard by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 545 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,017,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock traded up $5.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $566.53. 1,528,739 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,670,606. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $566.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $546.49. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The company has a market cap of $516.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The business 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%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,441 shares of company stock valued at $20,173,035 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

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.