GAMMA Investing LLC Makes New Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,009 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,250,000. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.6% of GAMMA Investing LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 661.5% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $5.87 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $462.62. The stock had a trading volume of 2,027,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,400,298. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month 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 company has a market capitalization of $431.57 billion, a PE ratio of 38.63, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $471.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $434.80.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.46, for a total transaction of $49,863,140.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,215,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,472,114,797.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.46, for a total transaction of $49,863,140.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,215,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,472,114,797.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total transaction of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at $22,672,828.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 257,630 shares of company stock worth $118,303,470. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.