Martin Investment Management LLC Has $18.25 Million Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Martin Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 34,661 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,530 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 5.0% of Martin Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Martin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. OneAscent Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 36.4% in the 4th quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 2,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in Mastercard by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 52,871 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,840,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Private Portfolio Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Portfolio Partners LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 12,519 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,592,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $321,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE MA opened at $548.16 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $551.46 and its 200-day moving average is $527.98. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $499.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.