Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Sells 1,218 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 404,177 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,218 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $212,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of MA stock traded up $8.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $543.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,758,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,377,778. The firm has a market capitalization of $495.81 billion, a PE ratio of 39.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $547.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $524.95. 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 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23.

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Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MA. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report 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.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.11.

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.