AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Makes New $17.69 Million Investment in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs made a new investment of approximately $17.69 million in Mastercard, acquiring 30,207 shares, which makes up 1.0% of their total holdings.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly EPS of $4.15, exceeding analyst expectations of $4.05, with revenue reaching $8.13 billion, a 16.8% increase from the same quarter last year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with a current dividend yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 20.50%.

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 30,207 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $17,689,000. Mastercard accounts for 1.0% of AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs' holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MA. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.7%

Mastercard stock opened at $589.12 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $574.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $558.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $465.59 and a one year high of $601.77. The stock has a market cap of $532.57 billion, a PE ratio of 39.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.99.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The firm's revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $645.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $626.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,094 shares of company stock valued at $26,521,861. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.