Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,259,707 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 188,460 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.6% of Alliancebernstein L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.36% of Mastercard worth $1,716,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 79,739.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,079,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,674,932,000 after buying an additional 581,697 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target 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 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

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

Mastercard Trading Down 3.1 %

MA traded down $17.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $530.14. 2,390,984 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,549,814. The company has a market cap of $483.33 billion, a PE ratio of 38.21, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm's fifty day moving average is $551.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $528.12. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.