Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Sells 248 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,102 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 248 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 0.9% of Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,508,636,000 after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,817,684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $617,303,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $561,313,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $566.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $516.51 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $566.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $546.49. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,441 shares of company stock worth $20,173,035. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Tigress Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $611.50.

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.