Bailard Inc. Boosts Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,901 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in Mastercard by 1.3% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 6,411 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,538,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $236,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 9.5% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 890 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.9% in the third quarter. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 773 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Fin Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the third quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. now owns 25,486 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $10,090,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $462.16. 423,563 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,390,444. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $471.46 and its 200-day moving average is $435.63. The stock has a market cap of $431.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.23, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares in the company, valued at $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares in the company, valued at $44,887,951,416.24. 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 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.