Headlands Technologies LLC Invests $1.16 Million in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,713 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,157,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. increased its stake 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. increased its stake 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. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $21,388,649.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,388,649.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 366,630 shares of company stock worth $168,746,490 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $462.42 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $471.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $436.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $431.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a PEG ratio of 1.76 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 announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders 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 is currently 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.