Nepsis Inc. Sells 398 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Nepsis Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,567 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 398 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 4.4% of Nepsis Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Nepsis Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MA. Bornite Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $21,442,000. United Bank raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 34.5% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 6,007 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 30.1% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 272,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $97,335,000 after purchasing an additional 63,040 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $1,168,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $12,926,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MA. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $479.62.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $477.95. 2,249,400 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,446,885. The firm has a market capitalization of $445.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $352.80 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $463.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $426.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $11.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid 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 payout ratio is 22.32%.

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.