Chiron Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Chiron Investment Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 260.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,933 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,896 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 1.9% of Chiron Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Chiron Investment Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:MA traded up $4.03 on Friday, reaching $517.46. The company's 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $538.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $528.64. The firm has a market cap of $471.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.25, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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. Raymond James reissued 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. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Macquarie lifted their target price on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $607.96.

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.