Everence Capital Management Inc. Cuts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Everence Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,850 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.7% of Everence Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,187 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,610,000 after buying an additional 5,265 shares in the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 29,575 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $12,614,000 after purchasing an additional 5,519 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 66,580 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $28,397,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Prosperitas Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 4,436 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,892,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 18,725 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,986,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $459.82. 1,763,491 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,412,438. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $471.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $432.58. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $357.85 and a fifty-two week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $485.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total value of $1,740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at $2,712,225. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total value of $1,740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at $2,712,225. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,388,649.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,728 shares of company stock worth $19,479,753 over the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.