Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stake Lifted by Demars Financial Group LLC

Demars Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 50,438.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 979,518 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.6% of Demars Financial Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Demars Financial Group LLC owned about 0.11% of Mastercard worth $516,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 valued at $1,497,160,000 after purchasing an additional 138,842 shares during the period. Passumpsic Savings Bank raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the third quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank now owns 4,990 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,464,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the third quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 2,276 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 18.5% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 3,105 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,533,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,493,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $513.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $468.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The business's 50-day moving average is $539.77 and its 200-day moving average is $528.48. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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 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. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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