Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stake Decreased by Farley Capital L.P.

Farley Capital L.P. trimmed its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 65,958 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 29.6% of Farley Capital L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Farley Capital L.P.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $34,732,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 481,244 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $253,409,000 after purchasing an additional 4,680 shares during the last quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $4,868,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $5,349,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,306,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $681,074,000 after acquiring an additional 100,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund grew its position in Mastercard by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 176,584 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $92,984,000 after acquiring an additional 3,900 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $549.13 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $549.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $526.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $500.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 price target (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.