Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Buys 27,600 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. increased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 100.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 55,162 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 27,600 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 1.2% of Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $30,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,640,219,000 after purchasing an additional 377,302 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,725,627,000 after purchasing an additional 912,856 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,800,202,000 after buying an additional 282,739 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Mastercard by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,139,713,000 after buying an additional 817,836 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded down $2.99 on Thursday, reaching $546.71. 3,764,036 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,665,094. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.44 billion, a PE ratio of 38.34, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $561.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $545.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.31 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 21.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Macquarie lowered their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,669,203. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,383 shares of company stock valued at $19,035,108 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.