Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Increased by BlueSpruce Investments LP

BlueSpruce Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 55,091.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 737,352 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 736,016 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 7.9% of BlueSpruce Investments LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. BlueSpruce Investments LP owned 0.08% of Mastercard worth $388,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Mastercard by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207,787 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $617,303,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA traded up $7.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $566.11. 2,493,698 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,608,301. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm's 50-day moving average is $532.04 and its 200-day moving average is $532.35. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a market capitalization of $516.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.76, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, 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. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $640.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.25.

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.