Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Buys Shares of 975 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 975 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $513,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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Mastercard Stock Up 1.5 %

MA stock traded up $8.13 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $543.82. 2,758,655 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,377,778. The company has a market cap of $495.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. 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 Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $548.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $525.42.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Company Profile

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.