German American Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,835 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 2.0% of German American Bancorp Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. German American Bancorp Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,651,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.
Mastercard Stock Performance
NYSE:MA traded up $10.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $509.66. The company had a trading volume of 3,735,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,610,523. The firm has a market cap of $464.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.69, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $542.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $528.53. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23.
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 (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%. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.
Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
Mastercard Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.89%.
Insider Transactions at Mastercard
In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Six research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.
View Our Latest Analysis on Mastercard
Mastercard Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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