Capital International Inc. CA Increases Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Capital International Inc. CA increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 180,494 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,825 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 1.1% of Capital International Inc. CA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $95,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,175,608 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,198,756,000 after purchasing an additional 17,549 shares during the last quarter. Dnca Finance boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 109.1% during the 4th quarter. Dnca Finance now owns 29,900 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $15,744,000 after buying an additional 15,600 shares during the last quarter. Elevatus Welath Management grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 42.7% during the fourth quarter. Elevatus Welath Management now owns 990 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 389,384 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $205,038,000 after buying an additional 17,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Mastercard by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,009,513 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $531,579,000 after acquiring an additional 47,759 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8 %

Mastercard stock opened at $517.46 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The stock has a market cap of $471.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.25, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $537.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $528.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $607.96.

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.