HF Advisory Group LLC Has $1.29 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,032 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 661.5% during the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of MA traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $459.73. 309,014 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,382,877. The company has a market cap of $428.88 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $471.83 and its 200-day moving average is $433.21. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $490.23.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,728 shares of company stock worth $19,479,753 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is 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.