Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Decreases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 59.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,771 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 149,235 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Mastercard were worth $52,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Augustine Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, 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.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1 %

Mastercard stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $561.46. The stock had a trading volume of 999,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,602,286. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $532.34 and a 200 day moving average of $531.92. The firm has a market cap of $511.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. 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 (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 (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 company 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 business earned $3.31 EPS. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Six 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.25.

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.