Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 38,097 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 699,497 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 38,097 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 0.9% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Mastercard worth $368,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Momentous Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 134,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,700,000 after purchasing an additional 3,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Syverson Strege & Co acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $217,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $543.82 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $495.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.15, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $548.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $525.42.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.