Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Pointe Capital Management LLC

Pointe Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,626 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of Pointe Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Pointe Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. raised its position 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 worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

MA stock traded up $2.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $443.58. 3,711,610 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,507,301. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $357.85 and a 12-month high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $413.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $469.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $437.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 583,088 shares of company stock valued at $266,873,978 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on MA. Mizuho cut their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $493.55.

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.