Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Parisi Gray Wealth Management

Parisi Gray Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,033 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 2.6% of Parisi Gray Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Parisi Gray Wealth Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $6,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $177,000. Courier Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 746 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. IFG Advisory LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,890 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $806,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $247,000. Finally, San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,067 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,441,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total transaction of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares in the company, valued at $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 13,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.06, for a total value of $6,230,132.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,388,649.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,628 shares of company stock valued at $23,309,067. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $1.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $479.20. The company had a trading volume of 148,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,408,970. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $355.82 and a one year high of $490.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $463.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $426.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $447.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.40, a PEG ratio of 1.81 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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 5th that allows the company to buyback $11.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $425.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $479.62.

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.