West Oak Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

West Oak Capital LLC cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $841,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Bollard Group LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $2.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $479.96. The stock had a trading volume of 490,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,413,966. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $355.82 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $463.16 and its 200 day moving average is $426.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $447.75 billion, a PE ratio of 40.58, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $11.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $479.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard 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 value of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067. 0.13% of the stock is owned by 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.