AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 130,248 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 48.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 401,054 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 130,248 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 1.2% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $219,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $3.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $557.80. 864,730 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,656,740. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $567.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $548.77. The company has a market cap of $508.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MA. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $612.90.

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.