Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd

Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,130 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 629 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 2.8% of Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,651,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,182,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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Mastercard Trading Down 0.0 %

MA stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $543.52. 675,464 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,376,994. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $495.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.07, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $548.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $525.42. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard 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.