Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Hemenway Trust Co LLC

Hemenway Trust Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,983 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 4.3% of Hemenway Trust Co LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Hemenway Trust Co LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $52,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 7.7 %

Mastercard stock opened at $489.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $550.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $528.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. The company has a market cap of $446.68 billion, a PE ratio of 35.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were 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 directly owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price target 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.