StoneX Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,111 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,851,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,640,219,000 after purchasing an additional 377,302 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,288,912 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $17,425,665,000 after buying an additional 257,312 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,375,053 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,043,972,000 after buying an additional 453,773 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after acquiring an additional 817,836 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.
Mastercard Trading Down 3.1 %
Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $17.23 during trading on Thursday, reaching $530.15. 3,442,661 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,553,024. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $551.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $528.12. The firm has a market cap of $483.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $582.23. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Mastercard Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have recently commented on MA. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price target (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.11.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on MA
About Mastercard
(
Free Report)
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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