Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Clarius Group LLC

Clarius Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 25.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,667 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,633 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 4.5% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 80,661 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $35,584,000 after acquiring an additional 3,473 shares during the last quarter. Blue Whale Capital LLP increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Whale Capital LLP now owns 127,250 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $56,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,750 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 142,002 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $62,646,000 after buying an additional 5,158 shares during the period. Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. lifted its position in Mastercard by 6.9% in the second quarter. Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. now owns 24,146 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $10,652,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 11.6% during the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 14,949 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,595,000 after buying an additional 1,549 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $2.08 on Friday, reaching $525.22. The company had a trading volume of 2,373,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,205,146. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $427.45 and a 52-week high of $537.70. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $524.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $494.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm's revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard's payout ratio is 19.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $566.63.

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.