Renaissance Group LLC Sells 2,176 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Renaissance Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,906 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,176 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.5% of Renaissance Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Renaissance Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $36,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded up $10.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $509.66. The stock had a trading volume of 3,735,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,610,523. The firm has a market cap of $464.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. 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 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $542.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $528.53.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current 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 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 often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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 given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $607.96.

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.