Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Position Boosted by Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group

Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 94 shares during the quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $21,442,000. United Bank increased its position in Mastercard by 34.5% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 6,007 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,147,000 after buying an additional 1,541 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in Mastercard by 30.1% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 272,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $97,335,000 after buying an additional 63,040 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $1,168,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $12,926,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total transaction of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of MA stock traded down $4.33 on Thursday, hitting $455.83. The stock had a trading volume of 936,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,391,992. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $357.85 and a twelve month high of $490.00. The firm has a market cap of $425.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.89, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $471.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $433.21.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 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. 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 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

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.