Guinness Asset Management LTD Sells 1,919 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Guinness Asset Management LTD lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,546 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,919 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.9% of Guinness Asset Management LTD’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Guinness Asset Management LTD’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $52,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.6% in the first quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,848 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% in the second quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,276,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Financial LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 1.2% during the second quarter. Nvest Financial LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $846,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MA stock opened at $573.72 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $465.59 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.65 billion, a PE ratio of 38.69, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $579.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $566.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The business’s revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $665.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $638.96.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total value of $10,202,433.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,294. The trade was a 35.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently 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.