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

Ameriprise Financial Inc. cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,891,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 133,697 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.7% of Ameriprise Financial Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.53% of Mastercard worth $2,575,956,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Mastercard by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $617,303,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $640.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.25.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $7.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $566.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,493,698 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,608,299. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $532.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $532.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Company 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.