Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Lifted by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 183,894 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 14,062 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.7% of Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $96,833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE MA traded down $2.20 on Friday, hitting $533.26. 2,006,113 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,625,192. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $534.04 and a 200 day moving average of $529.89. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The company has a market capitalization of $486.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $607.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's 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 directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, 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 owned by company insiders.

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.