Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Fayez Sarofim & Co

Key Points

• Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings in Mastercard by 0.6%, acquiring an additional 7,397 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 1.16 million shares valued at around $643.7 million.
• Institutional investors collectively own 97.28% of Mastercard's stock, with significant increases in positions from firms such as GAMMA Investing LLC and Northern Trust Corp.
• Mastercard reported a 16.8% year-over-year revenue increase in its latest quarter, reaching $8.13 billion, and the company has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share.

Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,164,434 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,397 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 1.6% of Fayez Sarofim & Co's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned approximately 0.13% of Mastercard worth $643,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 65,631.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,508,636,000 after acquiring an additional 8,213,123 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,817,684,000 after buying an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $617,303,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $561,313,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50,438.6% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $516,807,000 after acquiring an additional 979,518 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $13.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $574.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,907,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,618,541. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $453.46 and a 1 year high of $594.71. The business's 50 day moving average price is $563.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $553.24. The company has a market cap of $523.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. The firm 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. Research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,603 shares of company stock worth $20,265,667. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $615.33.

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.