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

Pointe Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 40 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.8% of Pointe Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Pointe Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded up $3.89 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $444.00. 1,709,613 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,480,124. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $359.77 and a one year high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $412.75 billion, a PE ratio of 35.29, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $449.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $454.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MA. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays cut their price target 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. Bank of America cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $505.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $498.57.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total transaction of $68,335,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,930,308 shares in the company, valued at $43,413,260,885.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total transaction of $68,335,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,930,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,413,260,885.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total transaction of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870. 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.