Davis R M Inc. Sells 77 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Davis R M Inc. lessened its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,449 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 77 shares during the quarter. Davis R M Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,584,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $36,399,279,000 after buying an additional 330,872 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,974,478,000 after acquiring an additional 676,452 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,608,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,803,956,000 after purchasing an additional 605,909 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,595,559,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,665,483 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,989,875,000 after purchasing an additional 107,953 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total transaction of $136,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,572,202. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,887,951,416.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,943,228 shares of company stock worth $1,327,934,080 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $498.13.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE MA traded down $5.66 on Tuesday, hitting $442.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 896,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,475,573. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $490.00. The firm has a market cap of $411.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $448.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $455.72.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

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.