Bank of Montreal Can Reduces Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bank of Montreal Can cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 57.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,467,695 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,298,019 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.27% of Mastercard worth $1,299,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $818,962,000 after buying an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,725,627,000 after buying an additional 912,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 817,836 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.1 %

NYSE:MA traded up $10.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $509.66. 3,735,418 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,610,028. 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 $464.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The business's 50-day moving average price is $542.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $528.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

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

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard Company 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.