Financial Counselors Inc. Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated

Financial Counselors Inc. has increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, as detailed in its recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company now owns 11,210 shares of Mastercard following the purchase of an additional 494 shares during this time. As of the end of the last quarter, these shares were valued at approximately $5,903,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have made adjustments to their shares in Mastercard as well. For instance, Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake by 3.8%, bringing its total to 493 shares worth about $260,000 after acquiring 18 new shares. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position by 0.6%, now owning 3,135 shares valued at $1,651,000, following the acquisition of 19 shares. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. also increased its holdings by 4.2% in this quarter, owning 475 shares worth $250,000 after buying 19 additional shares.

Augustine Asset Management Inc. expanded its position by 1.1%, now totaling 1,797 shares worth $946,000 after buying 19 shares. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC boosted its stake by 0.9% to 2,245 shares, valued at $1,182,000, after acquiring 19 shares during this period. Collectively, institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of Mastercard's stock.

Insider Transactions

In recent news on insider trading, Edward Grunde Mclaughlin, an insider at Mastercard, sold 7,132 shares on March 19th at an average price of $534.68, totaling about $3,813,337.76. After this sale, the insider holds 34,524 shares, which are valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This transaction reflects a 17.12% decrease in ownership, which was disclosed in a filing with the SEC.

Mastercard Stock Performance

As of Thursday, Mastercard's stock opened at $549.13. The company has recorded a one-year low of $428.86 and a high of $582.23. Currently, Mastercard has a 50-day moving average of $549.58 and a 200-day moving average of $526.06. The market capitalization is around $500.64 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.53, a PEG ratio of 2.37, and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard recently released its quarterly earnings data on January 30th, reporting earnings per share of $3.82, surpassing the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. The firm's net margin stands at 45.71%, while the return on equity is an impressive 188.47%. Analysts predict that Mastercard will post earnings of 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Stock Buyback and Dividends

On December 17th, Mastercard's Board of Directors announced a stock buyback program of $12.00 billion. This buyback allows the company to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock in open market purchases, often indicating that the board believes the stock is undervalued.

The company has also declared a quarterly dividend to be distributed on May 9th for stockholders on record by April 9th, amounting to $0.76 per share. This dividend results in an annualized yield of 0.55%, with a dividend payout ratio of 21.89%.

Analyst Recommendations

Mastercard has received a variety of ratings from research analysts. DZ Bank upgraded its rating from "hold" to "buy," with a target price of $620. Susquehanna increased its target price from $605 to $670, assigning a "positive" rating. Wells Fargo raised its target from $585 to $625 and designated the stock as "overweight." Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective from $618 to $665 and rated the stock as "outperform." Additionally, Citigroup increased its target from $584 to $650, maintaining a "buy" rating. Overall, four analysts rate the stock as "hold," twenty-four as "buy," and two as "strong buy," leading to an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $606.11.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a technology company that offers transaction processing and payment-related services in the U.S. and internationally. Their portfolio includes integrated products and services for various clients such as consumers, financial institutions, merchants, and governments. They provide solutions that facilitate credit and payment options for users across different platforms.

Finance, Stocks, Investment