Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Reduced by Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel

Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 43.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,418 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 14,664 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 2.9% of Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $6,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,303,477 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Mastercard by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,027,189 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,398,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,247,291 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 0.4% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,368,594 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,936,110,000 after purchasing an additional 62,380 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,843,692 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,509,328,000 after acquiring an additional 2,385,640 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,308,223,000. Institutional investors own 74.94% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $416.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $392.24 billion, a PE ratio of 39.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50-day moving average is $400.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $380.70. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $276.87 and a 1 year high of $418.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.56 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MA. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Mastercard from $442.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $440.00 to $443.00 in a report on Friday, July 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $463.00 to $488.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $440.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $440.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 6,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,533,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,596,400. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $413.65, for a total transaction of $2,481,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,565,450.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 6,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,533,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,596,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 407,267 shares of company stock worth $161,485,243. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.