Ameriprise Financial Inc. Sells 80,004 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,735,711 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 80,004 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 0.7% of Ameriprise Financial Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.61% of Mastercard worth $2,084,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $747,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% in the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,409 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% during the first quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.5% during the first quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 5,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,897,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGO Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. MGO Private Wealth LLC now owns 867 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 74.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $416.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $392.15 billion, a PE ratio of 39.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $400.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $380.70. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $276.87 and a twelve month high of $417.78.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.05. Mastercard had a net margin of 43.37% and a return on equity of 178.10%. The company had revenue of $6.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. 888 reaffirmed a “reiterates” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $463.00 to $488.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $438.00 to $442.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Mastercard from $440.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $440.96.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 125,816 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.39, for a total value of $49,243,124.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,430,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,916,200,851.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 125,816 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.39, for a total transaction of $49,243,124.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,430,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,916,200,851.11. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 10,838 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.38, for a total value of $4,274,290.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,166,426.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 407,267 shares of company stock worth $161,485,243. 0.13% of the stock is 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. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.