Artemis Investment Management LLP Lowers Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Artemis Investment Management LLP decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 15.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,193 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,949 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in 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. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 122,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.20, for a total transaction of $56,144,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 94,971,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,705,795,941.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 122,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.20, for a total value of $56,144,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 94,971,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,705,795,941.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,894,067 shares of company stock valued at $852,731,236. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2 %

MA stock traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $457.49. 521,627 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,497,840. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $446.98 and a 200-day moving average of $457.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $425.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Bank of America cut 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 note on Wednesday, July 10th. William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $507.55.

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.