Baldwin Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Baldwin Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,731 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $559.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The business’s 50 day moving average is $532.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $531.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.26, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MA. Macquarie lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.18.

Insider Activity

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

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.