Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Applied Finance Capital Management LLC

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 49.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,320 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 49,618 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 2.0% of Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $27,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. FMR LLC increased its stake 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 holdings in Mastercard by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,800,202,000 after purchasing an additional 282,739 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Mastercard by 9.1% in the fourth 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 period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,817,684,000 after buying an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,508,636,000 after buying an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $612.90.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $568.18 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $432.11 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $565.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $549.91. The company has a market capitalization of $518.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02. 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 (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.32%.

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.