Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 282,739 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of Geode Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.03% of Mastercard worth $9,800,202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,651,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its position in 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 valued at $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Mastercard Stock Down 7.7 %
Mastercard stock traded down $40.61 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $489.94. 6,048,313 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,568,090. 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 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $551.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $528.13. The firm has a market cap of $446.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.
Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Mastercard Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard
In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 target price (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.11.
View Our Latest Research Report on Mastercard
Mastercard Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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