Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Sells 19,560 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 20.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 74,938 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 19,560 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 2.4% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $31,962,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake 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 worth $3,593,025,000 after acquiring an additional 251,516 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 7,966,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,153,957,000 after acquiring an additional 515,481 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,510,259 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,181,964,000 after acquiring an additional 306,663 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,314,881 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,104,214,000 after acquiring an additional 56,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,557,530 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,804,372,000 after acquiring an additional 16,019 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE MA traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $462.04. The company had a trading volume of 2,006,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,415,934. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $357.85 and a fifty-two week high of $490.00. The company has a market capitalization of $431.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $471.46 and its 200 day moving average is $435.63.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 366,630 shares of company stock valued at $168,746,490 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently 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.