Private Portfolio Partners LLC Has $945,000 Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Private Portfolio Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the quarter. Private Portfolio Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MA. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 12,519 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,592,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $321,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,166 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,512,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $313,000. Finally, OV Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 5,057 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,663,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business’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 trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $548.16 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $499.76 billion, a PE ratio of 39.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $551.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $527.98. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Macquarie lifted their target price on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

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.