Quantessence Capital LLC Takes $4.44 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Quantessence Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,435 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,442,000. Mastercard comprises 1.8% of Quantessence Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $617,303,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50,438.6% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $516,807,000 after buying an additional 979,518 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of MA stock traded down $2.20 on Friday, hitting $533.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,006,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,622,725. The company's 50 day moving average price is $534.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $529.64. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $486.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $607.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.