Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Boosted by Ninety One SA PTY Ltd

Ninety One SA PTY Ltd lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 43,891 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,016 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 2.8% of Ninety One SA PTY Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 661.5% in the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.3 %

MA traded down $5.82 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $454.34. 1,061,699 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,393,494. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $423.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $471.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $433.21. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $357.85 and a one year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total transaction of $1,740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,712,225. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 41,728 shares of company stock worth $19,479,753. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

About Mastercard

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.