Sierra Capital LLC Sells 1,481 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sierra Capital LLC lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 26.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,103 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,481 shares during the quarter. Sierra Capital LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,022,224,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 65,631.5% in 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 buying an additional 8,213,123 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Mastercard by 15.2% in 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 buying an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $617,303,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $561,313,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $2.35 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $562.77. The stock had a trading volume of 3,083,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,671,487. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The business's 50-day moving average price is $567.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $547.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $513.08 billion, a PE ratio of 39.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.31 EPS. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MA. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Evercore ISI began 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. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $640.00 target price on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the business's 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 sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Mastercard

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.