ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $474,000 Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,112 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 31 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,308,223,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 111,819.8% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,983,231 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,080,549,000 after acquiring an additional 5,977,885 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 43,445.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,936,684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,252,525,000 after purchasing an additional 2,929,940 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Mastercard by 17.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,385,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 145.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,960,242 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,164,263,000 after purchasing an additional 1,755,483 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $0.69 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $455.39. 2,548,844 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,169,012. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $424.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $471.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $433.78.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MA. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total transaction of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,740,407.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,728 shares of company stock worth $68,483,403. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.