Cambridge Financial Group Inc. Sells 966 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cambridge Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 16,344 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 966 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 3.5% of Cambridge Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Cambridge Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $6,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 661.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $493.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 available at this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 583,088 shares of company stock worth $266,873,978 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:MA traded up $2.48 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $443.58. 3,711,610 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,507,301. The stock has a market capitalization of $413.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $469.57 and a 200 day moving average of $437.74.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.99%.

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.