Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 385,008 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 709 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 0.8% of Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Mastercard were worth $202,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Scotia Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 169,029 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $89,009,000 after buying an additional 4,139 shares during the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 440 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 37,723 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $19,864,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 459.7% during the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 803,500 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $408,594,000 after purchasing an additional 659,931 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. Susquehanna upped their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.96.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on MA
Mastercard Stock Performance
Shares of MA stock traded up $5.35 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $517.81. The company had a trading volume of 978,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,605,734. The company has a market capitalization of $472.09 billion, a PE ratio of 37.28, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $541.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $528.66. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one 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 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.
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 given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.
Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Activity
In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Mastercard Profile
(
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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