Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd Cuts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 51.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 773 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 803 shares during the period. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% during 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 period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings 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 valued at $9,398,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,247,291 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% in the 1st 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 period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 17.7% during 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 period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,308,223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.94% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $417.13 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $393.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $276.87 and a 52-week high of $418.60. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $401.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $381.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.18 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 43.37% and a return on equity of 178.10%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.56 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $413.88, for a total value of $1,655,520.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,541.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $413.88, for a total value of $1,655,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,541.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.00, for a total transaction of $1,379,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,294,455. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 415,267 shares of company stock worth $164,793,283. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $460.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Mastercard from $435.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Bank of America upped their target price on Mastercard from $438.00 to $442.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $440.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $442.83.

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.