PGGM Investments Has $45.05 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

PGGM Investments increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 105,618 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,992 shares during the period. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Mastercard were worth $45,047,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:MA traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $462.42. The company had a trading volume of 1,963,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,212,406. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The firm has a market cap of $431.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.08. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $471.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $436.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $357.85 and a twelve month high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 366,630 shares of company stock worth $168,746,490 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Company 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.