Van ECK Associates Corp Has $62.32 Million Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 146,108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,738 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $62,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 661.5% during the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total transaction of $52,732,980.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 96,767,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,761,653,661.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 114,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.57, for a total transaction of $52,732,980.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,767,308 shares in the company, valued at $44,761,653,661.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 480,630 shares of company stock valued at $221,479,470. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $433.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Mastercard from $452.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.23.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE MA traded down $3.16 on Tuesday, hitting $453.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 631,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,384,882. The firm has a market cap of $423.48 billion, a PE ratio of 38.37, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $471.13 and its 200 day moving average is $437.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $357.85 and a 1-year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued 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 yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

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.