Gould Asset Management LLC CA Sells 75 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Gould Asset Management LLC CA cut its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. Gould Asset Management LLC CA’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 661.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $462.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,006,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,415,934. The firm has a market capitalization of $431.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $357.85 and a 1-year 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $471.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $435.63.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MA. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total transaction of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 366,630 shares of company stock valued at $168,746,490 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.