Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Makes New $80.49 Million Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 152,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $80,493,000. Mastercard comprises 1.3% of Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 62.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $4.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $517.46. The stock had a trading volume of 3,329,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,853. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $471.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50 day moving average is $538.81 and its 200-day moving average is $528.64.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.96.

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.