Cross Staff Investments Inc Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cross Staff Investments Inc grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.2% of Cross Staff Investments Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Cross Staff Investments Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $462.25. 1,197,879 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,399,361. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $357.85 and a 52-week high of $490.00. 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 company has a market cap of $431.23 billion, a PE ratio of 39.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $471.46 and a 200 day moving average of $435.63.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total transaction of $6,230,132.52. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 366,630 shares of company stock worth $168,746,490 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

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.