Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 588,872 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 74,489 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.8% of Aviva PLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.06% of Mastercard worth $310,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,497,160,000 after acquiring an additional 138,842 shares in the last quarter. Sora Investors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 40.0% during the third quarter. Sora Investors LLC now owns 35,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $17,283,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc now owns 19,020 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,392,000 after buying an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 62,891 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,917 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,835,000 after buying an additional 3,562 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.96.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.3 %

Mastercard stock traded down $1.67 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $477.49. 1,377,388 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,584,293. 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 fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23. The company's fifty day moving average price is $546.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $527.99. The company has a market cap of $435.34 billion, a PE ratio of 34.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.