Trust Investment Advisors Trims Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Trust Investment Advisors decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 89 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,759,814 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $12,632,032,000 after buying an additional 1,303,477 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Mastercard by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,843,692 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,509,328,000 after acquiring an additional 2,385,640 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,308,223,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,075,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,593,025,000 after acquiring an additional 251,516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% during the second quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 8,420,213 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,311,670,000 after purchasing an additional 318,077 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total transaction of $1,740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,712,225. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’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 value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of MA stock traded down $5.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $454.70. 1,995,587 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,406,490. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $471.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $433.21. The company has a market cap of $424.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MA. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

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.