Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 52.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 590 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 660 shares during the period. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $491.30 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $501.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The stock has a market cap of $456.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $476.54 and a 200-day moving average of $462.27.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. On average, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. BNP Paribas cut Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $517.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total transaction of $42,192,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 91,649,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,965,195,590.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.