Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Has $31.96 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,938 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 19,560 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 2.4% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $31,962,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard by 661.5% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard by 34.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total value of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 366,630 shares of company stock worth $168,746,490 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE MA traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $462.04. 2,006,520 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,415,934. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $471.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $435.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $357.85 and a 52 week high of $490.00. The stock has a market cap of $431.03 billion, a PE ratio of 39.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. 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 currently 22.32%.

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.