Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by TCW Group Inc.

TCW Group Inc. reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 371,060 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 35,888 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 1.8% of TCW Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $158,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,595,559,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Mastercard by 2.9% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,075,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,593,025,000 after acquiring an additional 251,516 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 5.9% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,510,259 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,181,964,000 after acquiring an additional 306,663 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Mastercard by 1.1% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,314,881 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,104,214,000 after acquiring an additional 56,642 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,665,483 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,989,875,000 after acquiring an additional 107,953 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $497.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on 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 owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,681,580 shares of company stock valued at $765,101,407. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $5.31 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $451.21. 2,084,552 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,427,863. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $465.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $444.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.