594 Shares in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Purchased by Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV

Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 594 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,079,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,674,932,000 after purchasing an additional 581,697 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.11.

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Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, 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 corporate insiders.

Mastercard Trading Down 3.1 %

MA stock traded down $17.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $530.15. 3,442,661 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,554,172. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $483.35 billion, a PE ratio of 38.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $551.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $528.13.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are 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.