Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Mirova

Mirova lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,828 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,324 shares during the quarter. Mirova's holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 169,126 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $89,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,194 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 252,846 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $133,141,000 after buying an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 39,267 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $20,677,000 after buying an additional 3,965 shares during the last quarter. Ossiam raised its stake in Mastercard by 962.2% during the 4th quarter. Ossiam now owns 10,463 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,510,000 after acquiring an additional 9,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its position in Mastercard by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 298,239 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $157,044,000 after acquiring an additional 134,880 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.1 %

MA stock traded up $5.65 on Thursday, hitting $535.66. 2,209,054 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,630,840. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $488.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The business's fifty day moving average is $535.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $529.34.

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 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

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 given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on MA. Macquarie raised their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $607.96.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard 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 sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.