Bfsg LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bfsg LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,297 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 109.2% in the 3rd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,186 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $865,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,343,000 after buying an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 111.2% in the 3rd quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,451 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,114 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 2,919 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard 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 value of $50,743,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,432,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were 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 owns 97,432,308 shares in the company, valued at $44,541,179,602.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 257,630 shares of company stock worth $118,303,470. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded down $3.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $459.27. The company had a trading volume of 704,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,397,912. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $357.85 and a one year high of $490.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $471.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $435.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

About Mastercard

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.