Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Position Lessened by KLCM Advisors Inc.

KLCM Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 16.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,039 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 409 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total value of $1,740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,712,225. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total transaction of $1,740,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,712,225. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE MA traded up $0.03 on Wednesday, reaching $459.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,787,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,209,005. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $471.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $433.03. 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 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year high of $490.00. The company has a market capitalization of $428.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $485.91.

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.