Public Sector Pension Investment Board Sells 46,871 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 28.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,916 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 46,871 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $52,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. BNP Paribas cut Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. William Blair upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $512.08.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 474,124 shares of company stock valued at $219,855,929. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $492.74 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $466.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $461.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $359.77 and a 1 year high of $501.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $458.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

About Mastercard

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.