Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Dark Forest Capital Management LP

Dark Forest Capital Management LP cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 83.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 548 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,787 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP's holdings in Mastercard were worth $289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.2 %

Mastercard stock traded down $1.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $546.81. The company had a trading volume of 2,838,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,619,741. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. The business has a fifty day moving average of $532.68 and a 200 day moving average of $530.73. The stock has a market cap of $498.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.37, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

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.