Highland Capital Management LLC Sells 53 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Highland Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,187 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 53 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,308,223,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 111,819.8% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,983,231 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,080,549,000 after purchasing an additional 5,977,885 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake 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 worth $5,509,328,000 after purchasing an additional 2,385,640 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 145.7% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,960,242 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,164,263,000 after buying an additional 1,755,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake 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 valued at $12,632,032,000 after buying an additional 1,303,477 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $479.62.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $477.95 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $463.16 and a 200-day moving average of $426.09. The company has a market capitalization of $445.87 billion, a PE ratio of 40.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $352.80 and a 52-week high of $490.00.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $11.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued 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 0.55%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

About Mastercard

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.