Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 17,946 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 389,384 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 17,946 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 1.0% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $205,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 368,690 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $194,141,000 after acquiring an additional 9,611 shares during the period. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $35,932,000 after purchasing an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Mastercard by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,510,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,325,353,000 after buying an additional 337,905 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 138,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 71,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,841,000 after buying an additional 1,194 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. This trade 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.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded up $3.69 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $533.70. 1,026,351 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,919,691. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $535.32 and a 200-day moving average of $529.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $486.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.43, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard 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.