Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Echo45 Advisors LLC

Echo45 Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 699 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the quarter. Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded down $5.77 on Thursday, reaching $454.39. The stock had a trading volume of 1,996,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,406,496. The firm has a market capitalization of $423.90 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $471.83 and a 200 day moving average of $433.21. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $357.85 and a twelve month high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MA. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.