Walter Public Investments Inc. Buys 7,286 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Walter Public Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,090 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,286 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 3.5% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $19,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on MA. Argus upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $524.64.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $514.07 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $515.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $477.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.86, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $484.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.60.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 179.78% and a net margin of 46.45%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. Company insiders own 0.10% 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.