Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations Buys New Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,712 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,008,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 18,152 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,558,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,045,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 31.7% during the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 46,121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $24,286,000 after acquiring an additional 11,100 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in Mastercard by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 481,244 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $253,409,000 after purchasing an additional 4,680 shares during the period. Finally, Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $4,868,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $549.13 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market cap of $500.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $549.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $526.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.