Tranquility Partners LLC Lowers Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Tranquility Partners LLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 364 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.7% of Tranquility Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Tranquility Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $485.91.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $460.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,735,020 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,412,026. The business’s fifty day moving average is $471.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $433.03. The stock has a market cap of $429.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.84, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. 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 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,740,407.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.