Qtron Investments LLC Decreases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Qtron Investments LLC reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,680 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 685 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.8% of Qtron Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,624,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $818,962,000 after buying an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,725,627,000 after buying an additional 912,856 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Mastercard by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,139,713,000 after acquiring an additional 817,836 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.9 %

Mastercard stock traded up $9.57 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $523.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,638,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,612,236. The firm has a market cap of $476.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $539.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $528.48. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.