Savvy Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 176.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,922 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,781 shares during the period. Savvy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm'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 sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's 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 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 represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $635.00 price objective (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $607.96.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded up $5.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $517.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,210,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,612,656. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $471.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $540.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $528.58. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.