Goelzer Investment Management Inc. Purchases 29 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,316 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays raised their target price on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $517.22.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA traded up $2.73 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $497.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,935,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,457,305. The stock has a market capitalization of $462.67 billion, a PE ratio of 39.55, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $501.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $476.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $462.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total transaction of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Mastercard

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.