Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,993 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 955 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $19,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth about $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Compass Point initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $549.16.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $3.90 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $532.38. 2,086,434 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,465,729. The business has a fifty day moving average of $508.78 and a 200 day moving average of $475.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $404.32 and a 1-year high of $534.03. The company has a market capitalization of $488.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 19.97%.

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 23.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% 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.