IFM Investors Pty Ltd Cuts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd cut its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 172,046 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 943 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.8% of IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $84,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 1,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $834,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Quilter Plc grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 801 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,148,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Lafayette Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc. now owns 524 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on MA. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $570.00 to $593.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Argus upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.68.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of MA stock traded down $3.18 during trading on Thursday, hitting $510.55. 691,701 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,427,129. The firm has a market capitalization of $474.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $490.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $464.93. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $518.82.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.