DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Boosts Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 107.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 719,344 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 372,312 shares during the quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned approximately 0.08% of Mastercard worth $378,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $946,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,182,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $640.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price target (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.25.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $566.11 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $516.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $532.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $532.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The business's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

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.

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