Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Corebridge Financial Inc.

Corebridge Financial Inc. lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 232,418 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 522 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.7% of Corebridge Financial Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Corebridge Financial Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $122,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,765,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,846,187,000 after acquiring an additional 1,965,782 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 79,739.7% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,355,081 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $10,545,139,000 after purchasing an additional 700,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,079,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,674,932,000 after purchasing an additional 581,697 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Mastercard Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of MA traded down $17.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $540.57. The company had a trading volume of 2,656,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,537,525. 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 company has a market capitalization of $492.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The company's fifty day moving average price is $550.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $526.65.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MA. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.