Nepsis Inc. Reduces Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Nepsis Inc. reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,567 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 398 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 4.4% of Nepsis Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Nepsis Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mendel Money Management grew its stake in Mastercard by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,133 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $839,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 68.2% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,940 shares during the last quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. now owns 20,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,219,000 after purchasing an additional 1,452 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,196,000. Finally, Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $315,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $425.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $479.62.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $1.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $477.95. 2,249,400 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,446,885. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $352.80 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $463.16 and a 200-day moving average of $426.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $445.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $11.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 8,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $430.26, for a total transaction of $3,829,314.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,003,217.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,628 shares of company stock valued at $23,309,067 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% 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.