Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue cut its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 140,259 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 8,210 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.7% of State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $59,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Mendel Money Management lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,133 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $839,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA lifted its position in Mastercard by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 49,539 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $21,129,000 after buying an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 68.2% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,907,000 after buying an additional 1,940 shares in the last quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. now owns 20,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,219,000 after buying an additional 1,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,196,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA traded up $3.62 on Friday, hitting $481.57. 2,214,542 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,325,334. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $355.82 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The company has a market capitalization of $449.25 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The business’s fifty day moving average is $465.19 and its 200 day moving average is $426.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $11.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,628 shares of company stock valued at $23,309,067 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $476.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $479.62.

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.