Ithaka Group LLC Reduces Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ithaka Group LLC cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 65,473 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,818 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 6.1% of Ithaka Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Ithaka Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $32,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Goldstein Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $749,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the third quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 1,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $834,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Oldfather Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the third quarter. Oldfather Financial Services LLC now owns 827 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Transcendent Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.8% during the third quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 455 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Guerra Pan Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% during the third quarter. Guerra Pan Advisors LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:MA opened at $515.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $506.36 and a 200-day moving average of $473.05. The company has a market cap of $472.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.96, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $404.32 and a one year high of $534.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $549.16.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total transaction of $2,294,994.10. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 23.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Company 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.