AJOVista LLC Invests $145,000 in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 340 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $145,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 661.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.04, for a total value of $51,624,640.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 96,651,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,013,698,112.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $445.04, for a total transaction of $51,624,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 96,651,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,013,698,112.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 583,088 shares of company stock worth $266,873,978. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $2.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $443.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,711,610 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,507,301. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $469.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $437.74. The company has a market capitalization of $413.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $357.85 and a one year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 183.70% and a net margin of 46.09%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. 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 report on Tuesday, March 26th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $493.55.

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.