Navalign LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Navalign LLC increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 16.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,184 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Navalign LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,308,223,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 111,819.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,983,231 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,080,549,000 after purchasing an additional 5,977,885 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Mastercard by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,843,692 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,509,328,000 after buying an additional 2,385,640 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 145.7% in the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,960,242 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,164,263,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,759,814 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $12,632,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303,477 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA traded up $3.62 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $481.57. The stock had a trading volume of 2,207,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,443,068. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $449.25 billion, a PE ratio of 40.74, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $355.82 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $464.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $426.46.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $11.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on MA. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $479.62.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 8,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $430.26, for a total transaction of $3,829,314.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $20,003,217.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 8,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $430.26, for a total transaction of $3,829,314.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $20,003,217.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067. 0.13% 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.