E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. Trims Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 34.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 184 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $91,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.5 %

MA stock opened at $513.96 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $494.33 and a 200 day moving average of $466.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $474.81 billion, a PE ratio of 39.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $373.11 and a 52 week high of $518.82.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total value of $55,746,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MA. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.68.

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.