Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Trims Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,663,660 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 206,232 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 1.3% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $733,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,584,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,399,279,000 after buying an additional 330,872 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Mastercard by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,974,478,000 after purchasing an additional 676,452 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,651,904 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,574,347,000 after buying an additional 43,881 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.7% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,327,168 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,908,973,000 after buying an additional 113,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,250,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,875,266,000 after acquiring an additional 38,380 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

MA stock opened at $492.63 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $359.77 and a 12 month high of $501.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $466.24 and its 200 day moving average is $461.15. The company has a market capitalization of $457.96 billion, a PE ratio of 39.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. William Blair raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $512.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total transaction of $60,189,260.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 92,426,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,466,191,473.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,426,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,466,191,473.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 605,124 shares of company stock worth $280,045,189. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.