Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Acquires 193,733 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,762,800 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 193,733 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 2.2% of Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $777,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MA. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related 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 transaction of $2,294,994.10. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,363,085.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup increased their target price on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $517.22.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:MA opened at $496.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $461.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $472.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $462.01. 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 Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $501.80.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.99%.

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.