Groupama Asset Managment Sells 1,345 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Groupama Asset Managment decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,927 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,345 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,610,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $584.38 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $461.90 and a 1 year high of $594.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $563.30 and its 200-day moving average is $554.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $528.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.41, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Macquarie lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $650.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $617.93.

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.