Impax Asset Management Group plc Sells 114,199 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Impax Asset Management Group plc lessened its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,060,027 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 114,199 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.9% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $466,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Barn Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.1% in the second quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 1,008 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Mastercard by 0.5% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 241,536 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $106,556,000 after buying an additional 1,232 shares during the last quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. now owns 34,561 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $15,247,000 after buying an additional 956 shares in the last quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 899 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 116.0% during the 2nd quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 10,808 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,768,000 after acquiring an additional 5,805 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 108,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $445.09, for a total transaction of $48,069,720.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 93,226,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,494,097,427.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 108,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.09, for a total value of $48,069,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 93,226,308 shares in the company, valued at $41,494,097,427.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.06, for a total transaction of $4,072,169.68. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at $26,585,476.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,167,931 shares of company stock valued at $531,284,982. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MA traded up $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $479.10. The stock had a trading volume of 77,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,433,112. The company has a market cap of $445.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.95, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $455.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $459.53. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MA. Compass Point began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $505.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $510.88.

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.