Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Increases Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,252 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,075,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,593,025,000 after buying an additional 251,516 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 7,966,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,153,957,000 after acquiring an additional 515,481 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,510,259 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,181,964,000 after acquiring an additional 306,663 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,314,881 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,104,214,000 after acquiring an additional 56,642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,557,530 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,804,372,000 after purchasing an additional 16,019 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MA. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock traded up $5.35 on Tuesday, reaching $462.10. 1,032,728 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,386,709. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $471.66 and a 200-day moving average of $434.80. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $357.85 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The firm has a market cap of $431.09 billion, a PE ratio of 38.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company 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 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total transaction of $6,230,132.52. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 257,630 shares of company stock worth $118,303,470. 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.