Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Acquires 232,256 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,690,995 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 232,256 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 2.4% of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.51% of Mastercard worth $2,470,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $1,540,000. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA boosted its stake in Mastercard by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 1,829 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,859,000. Demars Financial Group LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 50,438.6% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $516,807,000 after purchasing an additional 979,518 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenwood Gearhart Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $364,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % 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.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $4.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $517.46. 3,329,748 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,624,648. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $537.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $529.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $471.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Six investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.