Paradigm Financial Partners LLC Purchases 374 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Paradigm Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 1.7% of Paradigm Financial Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Paradigm Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 661.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total transaction of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 46,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,388,649.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 366,630 shares of company stock valued at $168,746,490. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $462.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,963,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,212,406. The company has a market cap 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $471.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $436.35. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $357.85 and a 1 year 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.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Raymond James upped their price target on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.