Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group Raises Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of MA traded down $4.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $455.83. 936,113 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,391,992. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $357.85 and a 1-year high of $490.00. 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 company has a market capitalization of $425.24 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $471.83 and a 200 day moving average of $433.21.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MA. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 owns 12,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $435.00, for a total value of $1,740,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,712,225. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,728 shares of company stock worth $19,479,753. Corporate insiders own 0.13% 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.