573 Shares in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Acquired by Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC

Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 573 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $27,000. Bollard Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter worth $29,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $38,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $479.62.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $481.57 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $355.82 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $464.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $426.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $449.25 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given 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 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

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.