Stifel Financial Corp Purchases 17,283 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 694,084 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 17,283 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.08% of Mastercard worth $365,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $607.96.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded down $2.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $533.26. 2,006,101 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,622,724. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $486.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.39, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $534.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $529.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, 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 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents 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 business's stock in a transaction dated 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 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. Company 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.