Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 54.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,062 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,432 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $925,662,000 after purchasing an additional 241,297 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 4.5% in the third quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 767 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 4.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,497,160,000 after buying an additional 138,842 shares during the last quarter. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $582,000. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the third quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 price target (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned 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 target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:MA opened at $546.98 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $545.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $520.41. The company has a market capitalization of $498.68 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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.