Swiss National Bank Sells 91,100 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,630,900 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 91,100 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of Swiss National Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,122,105,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,793,923 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,618,146,000 after purchasing an additional 85,757 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $1,497,000. FFT Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,298 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its stake in Mastercard by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 17,996 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,675,000 after acquiring an additional 2,861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,991,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of MA traded down $0.10 on Thursday, reaching $441.97. 1,816,306 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,431,877. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $412.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $470.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $437.42.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, 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 value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 467,088 shares of company stock valued at $215,249,338 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $489.68.

Mastercard 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.