Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Buys 68 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,252 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $36,000. 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total transaction of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $457.15, for a total value of $50,743,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,432,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,541,179,602.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the 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 257,630 shares of company stock valued at $118,303,470 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded up $5.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $462.10. 1,032,728 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,386,709. 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 Incorporated has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $471.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $434.80. The firm has a market cap of $431.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

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.