Ninepoint Partners LP Purchases 149 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ninepoint Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,066 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.1% of Ninepoint Partners LP’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Ninepoint Partners LP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 661.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:MA traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $454.46. 1,072,772 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,388,632. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $471.75 and its 200-day moving average is $433.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $357.85 and a 12-month high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $423.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value 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 approximately $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,728 shares of company stock worth $68,483,403. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.