Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Carmignac Gestion

Carmignac Gestion trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 53.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 111,981 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 130,134 shares during the period. Carmignac Gestion’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $61,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE MA opened at $584.38 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $563.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $554.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $461.90 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $528.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $617.93.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667. 0.09% of the stock is 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.