Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $393.04 Million Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 10.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 746,410 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 91,300 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.7% of Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.08% of Mastercard worth $393,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 62.5% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 483.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:MA opened at $535.66 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $488.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $534.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $529.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MA. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.