Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,915 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,008,000. Mastercard makes up about 0.9% of Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 58 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.11.

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Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $543.52. 675,464 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,376,994. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $548.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $525.42. The firm has a market cap of $495.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.