GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd Sells 152,846 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,091,350 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 152,846 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 9.3% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd owned 0.12% of Mastercard worth $574,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the third quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 2,805,554 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,385,383,000 after acquiring an additional 62,891 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in Mastercard by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 368,690 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $194,141,000 after purchasing an additional 9,611 shares in the last quarter. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,932,000 after purchasing an additional 2,931 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,510,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,325,353,000 after buying an additional 337,905 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,497,160,000 after buying an additional 138,842 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded up $8.57 on Thursday, reaching $557.64. 2,901,161 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,376,040. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $550.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $526.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $508.40 billion, a PE ratio of 40.15, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.11.

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.