Avenir Corp Has $41.42 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Avenir Corp reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 86,015 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,886 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 3.5% of Avenir Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Avenir Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $41,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,595,559,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 43,445.1% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,936,684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,252,525,000 after buying an additional 2,929,940 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,096,470,000 after buying an additional 742,076 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,974,478,000 after acquiring an additional 676,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,608,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,803,956,000 after acquiring an additional 605,909 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total transaction of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 142,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.14, for a total value of $62,783,880.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 96,377,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,612,262,959.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 58,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,362,683.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,720,228 shares of company stock worth $1,224,758,080 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $6.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $447.45. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,261,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,488,075. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $445.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $456.31. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The company has a market cap of $415.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.57, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note 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. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $501.23.

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.