Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Decreases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 87,563 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 9,510 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $46,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,306,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $681,074,000 after purchasing an additional 100,478 shares in the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 176,584 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $92,984,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 2,944 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,550,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. now owns 3,880 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,043,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Core Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Partners LLC now owns 963 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $540.57 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market cap of $492.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.92, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $550.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $526.65.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 price objective (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Company 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.