Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Sells 79,535 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 13.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 507,795 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 79,535 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.1% of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned 0.05% of Mastercard worth $223,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $493.01 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $359.77 and a 12-month high of $501.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $465.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $460.98. The company has a market capitalization of $458.31 billion, a PE ratio of 39.19, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays increased their price objective on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Susquehanna increased their price target on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $512.08.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,426,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,466,191,473.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was 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 $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,426,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,466,191,473.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 605,124 shares of company stock worth $280,045,189 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.