Callahan Advisors LLC Raises Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Callahan Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 8.4%, now owning 28,508 shares valued at approximately $16 million, making it the firm's 21st largest position.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.15, exceeding expectations and showing a 16.8% revenue increase year-over-year, with total revenue of $8.13 billion.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share on November 7, with an annualized yield of 0.5%, representing a payout ratio of 20.50%.

Callahan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,508 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,201 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 1.4% of Callahan Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Callahan Advisors LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $16,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:MA opened at $563.30 on Thursday. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $580.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $563.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The company has a market cap of $509.23 billion, a PE ratio of 37.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.97.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The company had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. Mastercard's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report 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-five have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $634.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total transaction of $10,202,433.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,294. This represents a 35.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report).

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.