Natixis Decreases Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Natixis lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 47.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,084 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 29,662 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $617,303,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 50,438.6% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $516,807,000 after purchasing an additional 979,518 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was 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 company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA traded up $5.65 on Thursday, reaching $535.66. 2,209,054 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,630,840. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $488.37 billion, a PE ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $535.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $529.34.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders 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 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised 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. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

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.