Crowley Wealth Management Inc. Buys New Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,780 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $938,000. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of Crowley Wealth Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.6 %

Mastercard stock traded up $8.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $557.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,901,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,376,040. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a market cap of $508.40 billion, a PE ratio of 40.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm's 50 day moving average is $550.27 and its 200 day moving average is $526.28.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.