Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 387,467 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,543 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 4.0% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $204,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA traded up $1.07 on Tuesday, reaching $544.74. The company had a trading volume of 2,138,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,376,994. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $548.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $525.42. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $496.64 billion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is currently 21.89%.

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

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.