Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 35.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,187 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,265 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.9% of Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,610,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,308,223,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 111,819.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,983,231 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,080,549,000 after acquiring an additional 5,977,885 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 43,445.1% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,936,684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,252,525,000 after acquiring an additional 2,929,940 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,843,692 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,509,328,000 after acquiring an additional 2,385,640 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 145.7% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,960,242 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,164,263,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755,483 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $485.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 dated 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 directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,832,644.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.4 %

MA stock traded up $1.95 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $461.74. 1,030,842 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,410,389. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $471.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $432.58. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $357.85 and a 52-week high of $490.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $430.75 billion, a PE ratio of 38.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.08.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given 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 of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

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.