Sierra Capital LLC Sells 1,481 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sierra Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 26.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,103 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,481 shares during the quarter. Sierra Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,196,757.55. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 38,441 shares of company stock valued at $20,173,035. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MA opened at $565.41 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $567.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $547.10. The company has a market capitalization of $515.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Macquarie reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $611.50.

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.