Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Raised by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 6.8% during the first quarter, now holding approximately 109,534 shares, with a total value of $60 million.
• Mastercard's recent quarterly earnings surpassed analysts' expectations, reporting $8.13 billion in revenue and $4.15 EPS, a significant increase from the previous year's performance.
• Several research firms have set new price targets for Mastercard, with the consensus target price now at $615.33, emphasizing a predominantly bullish outlook with twenty-five buy ratings.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 109,534 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.8% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $60,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, 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 sale, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,064,815.17. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Macquarie dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $615.33.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $573.72. 2,116,608 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,602,851. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $563.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $553.56. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $453.89 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The company has a market cap of $518.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.69, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. Mastercard's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

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.