Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 191 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Howland Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,934 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 191 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,376,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded up $2.74 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $436.38. 4,032,569 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,484,578. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $449.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $454.32. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $359.77 and a one year high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $405.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 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 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Barclays reduced 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. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $505.00 to $480.00 in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $498.57.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total value of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Mastercard

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.