TCW Group Inc. Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• TCW Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 0.6%, now owning 372,794 shares valued at approximately $204.3 million, making it the firm's 11th largest holding.
• Mastercard recently reported an earnings per share of $3.73 for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside a revenue of $7.25 billion that marked a 14.2% year-over-year increase.
• Insider activity included Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick selling 959 shares valued at approximately $549,372, representing a decrease in her ownership of the stock by 3.62%.

TCW Group Inc. decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 372,794 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,376 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.8% of TCW Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. TCW Group Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $204,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $612.90.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $15.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $574.46. The stock had a trading volume of 2,204,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,813,189. The company has a market capitalization of $523.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $564.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $550.97. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $439.59 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. 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.