Carret Asset Management LLC Has $5.33 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Carret Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 661.5% in 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. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 34.0% in 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. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $462.50. 3,982,723 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,420,361. The business has a 50-day moving average of $471.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $435.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $431.46 billion, a PE ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. 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 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.46, for a total transaction of $49,863,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,215,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,472,114,797.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 257,630 shares of company stock valued at $118,303,470. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.