Eagle Ridge Investment Management Sells 131 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Eagle Ridge Investment Management trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.4% 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 34,002 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.4% of Eagle Ridge Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Eagle Ridge Investment Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Naviter Wealth LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 5,813 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 67.0% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 5,864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,501,000 after buying an additional 2,352 shares during the last quarter. McAdam LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 769 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 11,417 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,869,000 after buying an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,337,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $5.03 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $457.39. The stock had a trading volume of 1,211,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,395,328. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $357.85 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $471.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $436.61. The firm has a market cap of $426.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 480,630 shares of company stock worth $221,479,470 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard 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.