Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 18.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 690,260 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 160,009 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 2.3% of Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. owned approximately 0.08% of Mastercard worth $363,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position 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 worth $260,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in 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 valued at $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.96.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Mastercard
Mastercard Stock Performance
MA traded up $5.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $517.69. 2,210,547 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,612,656. The company's 50-day moving average is $540.75 and its 200 day moving average is $528.58. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $471.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.
Mastercard Announces Dividend
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. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.89%.
Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
Insider Activity at Mastercard
In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction 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 $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
About Mastercard
(
Free Report)
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.
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