Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 303,445 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,023,894 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 303,445 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 0.8% of Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.55% of Mastercard worth $2,645,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,640,219,000 after buying an additional 377,302 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,288,912 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $17,425,665,000 after acquiring an additional 257,312 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,800,202,000 after purchasing an additional 282,739 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $17.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $530.15. The stock had a trading volume of 3,442,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,554,172. The company has a market cap of $483.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.17, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $551.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $528.13. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Company 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.