Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,366,353 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 456,526 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 4.8% of ING Groep NV's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. ING Groep NV owned about 0.15% of Mastercard worth $719,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank N.A. increased its position in Mastercard by 0.9% during the third quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 2,190 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,081,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $5.85 on Friday, hitting $557.44. The stock had a trading volume of 2,248,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,559,466. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $538.41 and a 200 day moving average of $512.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $511.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.13, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share 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 buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Citigroup increased their target price on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard 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.