Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Sells 3,000 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,562 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Mastercard by 51.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,765,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,846,187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,965,782 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $818,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,355,081 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $10,545,139,000 after acquiring an additional 700,769 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Mastercard by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,899,438 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,532,541,000 after acquiring an additional 565,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MA. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.2 %

MA traded up $1.07 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $544.74. 2,138,199 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,376,994. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $548.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $525.42. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The stock has a market cap of $496.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

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.