First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Boosts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,996 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,861 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.7% of First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 661.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $8.90 on Wednesday, reaching $442.30. 4,979,082 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,440,918. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $357.85 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The company has a market cap of $412.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $471.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $437.38.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,388,649.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $21,388,649.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total value of $52,732,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 96,767,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,761,653,661.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 480,630 shares of company stock valued at $221,479,470 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MA. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Mizuho reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $490.23.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.