O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 16.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 112,258 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,840 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $59,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $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 raised 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.11.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $8.64 on Thursday, hitting $538.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,800,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,546,729. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $551.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $528.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $491.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. 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 Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.