New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 125,868 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,396,631 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 125,868 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of New York State Common Retirement Fund’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.15% of Mastercard worth $595,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 661.5% in the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the 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 directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction 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 $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 148,630 shares of company stock worth $68,440,330. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $1.56 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $456.95. The stock had a trading volume of 2,157,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,405,142. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $471.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $434.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $426.28 billion, a PE ratio of 38.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

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.