Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 82.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 298,239 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 134,880 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.7% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Mastercard were worth $157,044,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie upped their target price 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. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Six investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.96.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:MA traded up $3.42 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $533.43. 1,239,581 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,627,155. The company has a market capitalization of $486.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company's 50 day moving average is $535.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $529.34.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders 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 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.