Zacks Investment Management Purchases 929 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,677 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 929 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in Mastercard were worth $23,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its position in shares of 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. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the fourth 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 institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $4.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $517.46. 3,329,748 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,624,648. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year 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. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $537.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $529.02. The company has a market capitalization of $471.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS 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 expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $607.96.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, 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 owned by insiders.

Mastercard 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.