Courier Capital LLC Has $318,000 Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Courier Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 746 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bollard Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $477.95 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $463.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $426.09. The stock has a market cap of $445.87 billion, a PE ratio of 40.40, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Incorporated has a 1 year low of $352.80 and a 1 year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 prior year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS 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 issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $11.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on MA. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Raymond James increased their price objective on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $425.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $479.62.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at $2,740,407.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,628 shares of company stock worth $23,309,067 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.