Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P. Has $19.98 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P. decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,939 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,997 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 3.9% of Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $19,978,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 170,225 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $89,635,000 after purchasing an additional 51,000 shares during the last quarter. Nutshell Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $8,564,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,665,727 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $876,968,000 after acquiring an additional 237,316 shares during the period. Hemenway Trust Co LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemenway Trust Co LLC now owns 99,983 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,648,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 24,926 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $13,125,000 after acquiring an additional 1,813 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $489.94 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $446.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $550.92 and a 200-day moving average of $528.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid 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 Activity

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued 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 target price of $606.11.

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.