Citigroup Inc. Boosts Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 67%, purchasing an additional 378,336 shares and bringing its total ownership to 942,751 shares valued at approximately $516.7 million.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly EPS of $4.15, exceeding expectations and showcasing a revenue increase of 16.8% year-over-year with total revenues of $8.13 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with an annual yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 20.5%.

Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 67.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 942,751 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 378,336 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned about 0.10% of Mastercard worth $516,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 440 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Macquarie decreased their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $615.33.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.4%

Mastercard stock traded down $2.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $571.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 988,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,814,986. The stock has a market cap of $516.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $454.89 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $563.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $553.84.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

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.