South Dakota Investment Council Cuts Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

South Dakota Investment Council decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 63,003 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,364 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 0.6% of South Dakota Investment Council’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $26,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 661.5% during the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total transaction of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $21,388,649.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 257,630 shares of company stock worth $118,303,470. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MA. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE MA traded up $5.87 on Tuesday, hitting $462.62. 2,027,850 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,400,298. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $357.85 and a fifty-two week high of $490.00. The company has a market cap of $431.57 billion, a PE ratio of 39.11, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $471.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $435.26.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

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.