Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. Sells 1,203 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,008 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,203 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 1.2% of Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 62.5% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $3.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $533.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,239,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,627,155. The stock has a market cap of $486.33 billion, a PE ratio of 38.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $535.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $529.34. 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 (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

About Mastercard

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.