Mizuho Securities USA LLC Purchases 24,189 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 45.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,688 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,189 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.7% of Mizuho Securities USA LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $40,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MA. Swedbank AB increased its stake in Mastercard by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $925,662,000 after purchasing an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,497,160,000 after purchasing an additional 138,842 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its stake in Mastercard by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 11,152 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,507,000 after acquiring an additional 1,464 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $272,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 7.8% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 86,952 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $42,937,000 after purchasing an additional 6,291 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reiterated 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $543.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 675,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,376,994. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 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 stock's 50-day moving average price is $548.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $525.42. The company has a market capitalization of $495.53 billion, a PE ratio of 39.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. 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.