GFG Capital LLC Sells 185 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GFG Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 14.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,095 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 185 shares during the period. GFG Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,640,219,000 after acquiring an additional 377,302 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,725,627,000 after purchasing an additional 912,856 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,800,202,000 after buying an additional 282,739 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $562.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $567.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $547.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $594.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $513.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,064,815.17. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Macquarie lowered their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Profile

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.